Thai New Year or Songkran, also known as Songkran Festival or Songkran Splendours, is the Thai New Year's national holiday. Songkran is on 13 April every year, but the holiday period extends from 14 to 15 April. In 2018, the Thai cabinet extended the festival nationwide to seven days, 9–16 April, to enable citizens to travel home for the holiday. In 2019, the holiday was observed from 9–16 April as 13 April fell on a Saturday.[5] In 2024, Songkran was extended to span nearly the entire month, running from April 1 to April 21, instead of the traditional three-day celebration. The festival aligns with the New Year observed in many Southeast and South Asian cultures, following the Theravada Buddhist calendar, and coincides with Hindu calendar celebrations such as Bihu, Pohela Boishakh, Pana Sankranti, Tamil Puthandu, Vishu, and Vaisakhi. The New Year also takes place at around the same time as the New Year celebrations of many regions of South Asia, like China (Dai people of Yunnan Province), India, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, Nepal, and Sri Lanka.
Comments