In Thailand, there are some particularly beautiful Buddhist festivals spread over the year. Here I will gradually introduce you to some of them.

The traditional New Year festival Songkran finds its origin in the Thai lunar calendar. Previously, the festival had no fixed date, but took place at the spring equinox between 19 and 21 March. Meanwhile, the date of the Songkran Festival is dated April 13th to 15th. In some places, there is also a celebration for up to a week.

In the traditional sense, the Songkran festival initiates the transition to a pure time or phase. The festival serves purifying and renewal. On the first day of the festivities (Maha Songkran) houses and apartments are cleaned. On the morning of the second day (Wan Thaloeng Sok), a visit to the temple (Wat) takes place to offer sacrifices. Above all, rice, food, fruits and flowers are sacrificed here. After the offering, the Buddha figures of the Wats are watered with water at noon. Afterwards, a traditional procession of the Buddha figures through the town / community takes place to give other believers the opportunity to water the statues. Also, many families use the holidays for family reunions, ia. to show respect for the older generations. A small amount of water is poured over the elderly members of the family and given to them as a sign of love and gratitude. For that the older ones express their blessing to the younger ones and one wishes each other luck and success.

Everywhere in Thailand boisterous festivities take place during this time, which also differ somewhat depending on the region. Especially around Ayutthaya and Sukhothai there are still very traditional ceremonies and parades around the old temples.

However, the biggest celebrations take place in Bangkok. There are colorful markets with Thai food as well as various cultural events. At the temple Wat Pho.

Extensive "water battles" take place especially in southern Thailand. Especially hilarious is on the holiday islands Phuket and Koh Samui celebrated. Here you can look forward to, among other things, the small cooling through the water, since April is the hottest month.

The biggest water battles take place mainly in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, Pattaya and Phuket.

Thailand is also home to holidays around Songkran. The holiday season is between 12. and 16.04. Domestic flights, buses and ferries are often fully booked during this time. In particular, the fares for domestic flights are rising because of high demand! The same applies to hotels, in some places / especially on smaller islands many hotels are fully booked. Other hotels have high prices during this time!

Dates in some bigger cities:

Bangkok: 12.04. - 15.04.2018 

Chiang Mai: 12.04. - 15.04.2018

Ayutthaya: 13.04. - 15.04.2018

Phuket: 13.04. - 16.04.2018

Pattaya: 13.04. - 19.04.2018

Koh Samui: 13.04. - 15.04.2018

Thailand and traffic are not exactly "pretty good friends" ... Thailand has the second most fatalities worldwide. This is mainly because it is often driven under the influence of alcohol and drugs. Frequently, children and people without a driver's license are on the road. The days around Songkran are commonly referred to as "the dangerous days" in Thailand, as it is particularly common here to serious traffic accidents.

So be especially careful if you are traveling by scooter, motorbike or car in Thailand at this time!