Thailand welcomes back Songkran with a huge country-wide water fight

Thailand is awash with the festive spirit this week as the country holds its first full-scale Songkran (Thai New Year) celebrations since the pandemic.

To mark the New Year, three days of festivities are taking place from the 13^th to the 15^th of the month, during which time the overwhelmingly Buddhist country will honour the cleansing and renewing powers of water with a gigantic water fight.

In the capital Bangkok alone, nearly 200 celebrations are being held throughout the city. Meanwhile, the country’s usually peaceful islands are also getting in on the act with huge island wide water fights taking place across their paradisiacal beaches.

New year marks a new start

This year feels particularly special, as it is the first Songkran in which water fights have been allowed in the country after 3 years of Covid restrictions. The sense of joy and release is palpable in a country where the tourism sector makes up such an important part of the economy.

And there is seemingly no better way to mark a fresh start than by drenching one another with buckets and water pistols filled with water!

The symbolic importance of water during Songkran

Songkran derives its meaning from the Sanskrit word Sankranti which means ‘to move’ – specifically from one part of the zodiac chart to another. Although this happens every month, the Songkran celebrations are held to mark the movement of the sun from Pisces to Aries, which heralds the traditional Thai New Year.

This period of renewal is marked by people splashing water on one another, which can either take on a quieter, almost ceremonial quality - with visits to the temples and water poured on Buddhist statues and elderly relatives as a blessing - or else the rather more joyous tone of the friendly water fights, which see the streets sealed off from traffic and hordes of excited locals and tourists alike flock to the streets to join in the merriment.

Countless reasons to visit this spectacular country

Thailand is a destination that needs almost no introduction. Once the niche domain of intrepid backpackers in search of adventure off the beaten track, Thailand has in recent years become a hugely popular as a holiday destination, welcoming people from all walks of life. While this increase in popularity has brought some negative aspects, a great deal of the country, as well as its achingly beautiful islands, has remained unspoiled by over-tourism, offering a truly life-affirming destination for those in search of a true break from it all.

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While its iconic beaches often receive most attention, the lush greenery of its inland regions, where well-preserved temples seem to emerge by magic from the surrounding undergrowth, and spectacular culinary heritage, not to mention hugely welcoming locals, offer plenty of reasons to discover this fascinating destination.

Just remember if you’re visiting in April, to bring your water pistol!

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