Happy Buddhist New Year

สุขสันต์วันสงกรานต์ - Suk San Wan Songkran! Sawasdee Krub! Happy Songkran to our Thai families in the DPS community who celebrated the Buddhist new year on April 13th.

Sursedey Chnam Thmey! Happy Khmer New Year to our Cambodian families in the DPS community who celebrated Buddhist new year over 3 days from April 13th.

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What is Songkran - Thai New Year?

Songkran – also known as the Water Splashing Festival – is a celebration to mark the start of the Buddhist New Year. Buddha images are bathed, and younger Thais show respect to monks and elders by sprinkled water over their hands.

Parades, dancing and folk entertainment mark the lunar change too, although getting wet is what Songkran is most famed for. To clean away the old year and be fresh and ready for the new year, Thai people, from young to old, have a massive water fight!

Lisa Foster

Cultural Studies Specialist