Songkran! Thai New Year in Bangkok

Watch the water festival from Khaosan Road (Backpacker's Road) in Bangkok, Thailand.

Songkran (Thai New Year) is an important part of the Thai calendar. It marks the passing and moving of the sun, the moon and other planets, and brings Thailand into the hot season after winter.

Water is a huge part of this time of the year, with everyone paying respect to their elders by sprinkling their hands with scented water. On Bangkok's Khaosan Road, though, people have now modernized the water tradition and bring out water guns, hoses and buckets of water to "cleanse" their neighbours! They are also armed with a soft chalk powder called Dinso Phong, which they'll smear all over your face if you are willing.

Watch the action on Khaosan Road, Bangkok, filmed in April 2011.

Thank you to the Tourism Authority of Thailand (http://www.tourismthailand.org) for sponsoring my trip to Thailand.

Filmed and edited by Lori Henry: http://www.LoriHenry.ca.
Produced by Dancing Traveller Media: http://www.DancingTravellerMedia.ca.
Music ("Rain On the Motherland") by Kazuki Mishima: http://ccmixter.org/people/lunasspecto.

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Songkran
• Thai New Year
• Bangkok
• Thailand
• Khaosan Road