water fight new year koh samui fisherman village in beach front apartment

if you like a New Year's party, Thailand is the place for you. Samui's people are blessed with no less than three annual opportunities to Celebrate new year with their friends on January 1st, with their Chinese friends in early February, and on April 13, which has for centuries marked the first day of of the traditional Thai solar calendar. This last celebration is called Songkran, and it is one of the most joyous occasions in The Kingdom.

The word Songkran comes from the Sanskrit words for "New Year", and the Thai celebration was probably imported with major aspects of Indian culture over 2,500 years ago.

Songkran in Thailand is a holiday primarily dedicated to the family, and tourists may notice a much slimmer staff manning the restaurants and hotels as every employee who is able goes home to spend the day with his or her relatives.

Back in the provinces huge meals are pre-pared, homes are fastidiously cleaned, and sacred altars and images respectfully washed. Family members who are scattered for the rest of the year by employment or marriage come together to renew their bonds and exchange gossip. Perhaps the most lovely rite associated with Songkran is the wai khon gaa ceremony, where whole neighborhoods will line up to pour water over the hands of the community's two oldest members, giving and receiving blessings for the coming year.

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