Thai New Year (Songkran festival) 2024

Thai New Year is the only holiday in Thailand that is celebrated according to the solar calendar, so it has fixed dates. At the same time, each province in Thailand announces its own dates of New Year celebrations in April.

Thai New Year dates are associated with ancient traditions of tropical astrology that came to Thailand from India.

 Songkran, which is the name of Thai New Year, originated from the Sanskrit word Sankranti and it means the entry of the Sun into the constellations or the passage of the Sun from one zodiac sign to another.

 Every year, when the Sun enters the constellation Aires, from 13 to 15 April the Thais celebrate this event by splashing water. This is explained not only by April being the dry hot season, but also by the fact that this ritual can make it rain.

Fun-loving Thais don't just throw water at each other for no good reason (besides having a kick out of seeing other people soaking wet). The real meaning behind the splashes is to symbolically wash off all misfortunes in the past year, thus welcoming the new year with a fresh start.