Travel diary: Songkran water festival in Thailand, April 13-15, 2013

Imagine a giant, country-wide wet T-shirt contest, but without the sleaze factor.

That’s basically Songkran in a nutshell. Expect to be squirted, splashed and sprayed in this Thai New Year festival.

The wet gathering takes place at the end of the dry season when temperatures in Thailand can reach a scorching 40ºC.

Why: Songkran means to “pass” or “move into”, which is why the Thai New Year is celebrated during the springtime. Traditionally, youngsters gently sprinkled water on their elders as a sign of respect but the event has now evolved into an all-out water war.

Do it because: There’s more to the fest than just getting wet: Thai people parade Buddha images through the streets on decorated floats, and make sand sculptures in their local temples which are decorated with colourful flags.

April 13-15
Thailand
songkran.tourismthailand.org

Photo: Getty