Songkran Festival Dates

Preparing For Songkran In Thailand

Songkran 2019 Dates – When is Songkran 2019, Songkran or Thai New Year is the biggest and most memorable water festival you’ll ever experience when in Thailand. This will also be the traditional Thai’s new year as per their calendar. Of course you have to be there to witness what we’re talking about. But you can read through, just in case you want to satisfy your curiosity.

Songkran 2019 : Thai New Year 2019

The dates for this year’s water festivities are between April 13th, all the way to 15th of the same month. The events mark the country’s new year eve celebration, and is characterized by water play.

Also known as the Thailand water festival or Thai new year, this festivity was originally meant for the Thai people to splash water on their family members and elders as a way of seeking good fortune. They also used this event to pay homage to the images of their beloved Buddha. However, what we’re seeing today is totally different from the original intention of the event.

Instead, the event has turned into mad play with water — involving splashing visitors and other people with buckets of water, super soakers and water hoses as they gather along the streets.

More about this Event

This is an annual event. However, in the recent years, the dates were never predetermined as with today. Instead, the dates were dependent on the Lunar calendar of the Thai people.

There are 3 elements that mark Thai new year. They are as follows:

(a) Songkran Monk Blessing
(b) Songkran Buddha Bathing
(c) Culture in Sukhothai

So if you’ll be traveling to Thai for the annual water fight in 2015, get ready to be soaked in water, having fun in the most awkward way. The good thing about this festival is that it usually takes place during the hottest time of the year, and this is a good time to get wet. You can enjoy feeling like a child once again. All you need is some courage to get out into the streets, splash water from above or from wherever you’ll be stationed, and just have mad fun. You could even carry a hose pipe for that matter!

Hint

A lot of water being sprayed during this festival will come from the usual water guns, i.e. the hoses, the buckets etc. But don’t just bank on this, because lots of party goers here will walk around with as much as 44 gallons of water and splash on you by surprise. All this is done in good fun, so you must view it as a way of relaxing.

Things to Look Out for

Don’t miss on Chiang Mai opportunities, because this place hosts the biggest water festival parade in Thailand. This involves statues being carried away from the local temples to be paraded along the streets in celebration mood. Of course everyone is welcomed to pour water on these statures, including foreigners. However, take note that you must do it respectfully and delicately because you’re handling the image of Buddha.

Songkran in Chiang Mai. (photo by John Shedrick, Flickr)

So plan ahead for the Songkran 2019 by booking your accommodation early. Where you book for your accommodation depends on where you plan to celebrate this festival. However, you can choose to stay in Bangkok as it is centrally situated where you can access key celebration centers.