Songkran Festival, also known as the Water Festival, is the most important and unique traditional festival in Thailand throughout the year, and it is also the New Year of the Thai calendar. After several years of extensive publicity, it is no longer unfamiliar to everyone. This is not only the Thai New Year, but also the most important festival of the year for the Dai people in China and other Southeast Asian countries. Different places have different names, but the roots actually come from religion.
Like our Spring Festival, the theme of Songkran is to bid farewell to the old and welcome the new. “Songkran” is a transliteration of Sanskrit, meaning “to ask for rain”, which means that the sun has entered Aries, and the new year is about to begin. Splashing water symbolizes the removal of all evil and misfortune, so on this day, people will splash water on each other to express blessings and welcome the New Year.
2019 Thailand Water Festival holiday time: April 13-16, four days in total
How to buy the cheapest air tickets! The Water Festival is the most grand annual festival in Thailand. People from all over the world will “fly” to Thailand to celebrate together.
The same reason as Chinese New Year, are there any cheap air tickets for Chinese New Year? No! So please don’t compare it to prices during the off-season! They are simply not comparable!
How to buy relatively affordable air tickets? I have simply summarized a few points:
Buy early!
After reading this guide, you should start taking action. Now, there are still half a month left before the Water Festival in April. You should start booking air tickets now.
Transfer!
There are direct flights from various cities in China to Thailand, which takes less time but there are fewer flights and the prices are relatively higher, so it is more cost-effective to transfer. Taking Beijing-Chiang Mai as an example, it is a good choice to transfer in Kunming or Hong Kong, and the prices are around 1500 yuan.
Low-cost Airlines!
Thai low-cost airlines have opened routes in many cities in China. To be honest, although the flight attendants have average service attitude and the plane does not provide meals, think about the price of air tickets, just bear with it! Thai AirAsia, AirAsia, Thai Lion Air are all low-cost airlines. You can search according to the city where you are.
Keep Checking!
Fliggy often holds some activities, receive a coupon, receive a red envelope, maybe it will be useful one day. Airlines all have their own member days. On member days, go to the official website and check it out, cheap air tickets for those with fast hands are waiting for you!
Have you gone through various Water Festival guides from last year, the year before last, and the year before the year before last? Is your head spinning? In fact, the event arrangements for the Water Festival are slightly different every year. Today, we refer to the 2019 official Water Festival event schedule to tell you how to play the Water Festival.
2019 Chiang Mai Water Festival Event Schedule
Catching up with a foreign carnival is the best way to understand a country in depth. I hope that everyone who comes to Thailand can feel the more authentic and traditional folk culture, and truly integrate into the local people’s life experience.
Chiang Mai—Full of Rituals, Carnival Celebration Throughout the City
In our impression, Chiang Mai is a quiet city, elegant, and breathing is like kissing a lover’s cheek. During the Water Festival, Chiang Mai changes its usual appearance and becomes extremely lively, even to the point of traffic paralysis.
6:00AM Bathing Buddha and Making Offerings to Monks
If you want to deeply understand the local people’s Songkran customs, you must start from the temple. Every morning, the monks will walk down the mountain barefoot, holding alms bowls, and accept offerings. Whether poor or rich, offering alms to monks is the happiest thing every morning.
Offerings from street vendors are 20 baht per bag, offer them with both hands to the monks, you can kneel or bow to offer, the monks will also chant scriptures for the alms givers, note that women cannot touch the monks.
Participate in alms giving with your own body and touch the part of Thai culture about faith and piety. Whether you believe in Buddhism or not, this will be a wonderful experience for yourself.
Recommended places:
In Chiang Mai, the offering places are mainly concentrated on the return bridge road to Doi Suthep and around the Chiang Mai South Gate Market, because Chiang Mai temples are concentrated in the ancient city, inside and outside, and around Doi Suthep.
9:00AM Carnival Begins, Buddha Invitation Ceremony
In addition to the wet fun, Chiang Mai’s Water Festival also has traditional cultural features and the most ceremonial event arrangements.
Wat Phra Singh houses the lion Buddha statue that is highly respected by local people. On the day of the Water Festival, everyone will go to Wat Phra Singh to solemnly invite out the Buddha statue in preparation for the afternoon’s Buddha procession. The highly respected monks will pour the first bowl of water on the Buddha statue, announcing the official start of the Water Festival.
A prayer ceremony is an unforgettable experience. Learn to build sand pagodas and insert money trees like local people, listen to the monks chant scriptures, and pray for good luck in the new year. The auspicious string tied around your wrist carries the most sincere heart.
Recommended places:
Wat Phra Singh is located in the west of Chiang Mai Ancient City. It costs about 20 baht to take a songthaew, or you can walk directly from the ancient city.
11:00AM Time to Fight, Splash It Up
The most lively place during the Water Festival is the main battlefield, surrounded by the moat of the ancient city, with abundant water sources, suitable for all-weather splashing and revelry.
On the way to the main battlefield, the traffic around the moat of the ancient city is congested, plus temporary traffic restrictions, traffic has long been paralyzed. However, people are not at all irritable. For the gentle people of northern Thailand, the blocked roads are also a playground. People of all ages are intoxicated by this hearty “water battle”.
You can choose to take a local unique mode of transportation, the tuk-tuk, to tour the outskirts of the ancient city. Sitting on the tuk-tuk is very stylish. During the Water Festival, the roofs of the tuk-tuks are also removed, as if telling everyone, come on, come and splash water, we are ready!
Pickup Truck Procession
Pickup truck processions are also a good way to parade. Open-top stylish pickup trucks, with one or two large barrels on the truck, filled with backup water, and then it’s your exclusive battlefield.
Among all combat equipment, water buckets are absolutely the best in terms of defense and offense, even though they are primitive and ordinary! See one, splash one, pour a full bucket of water on passersby from a high point, giving them a sudden chill.
Walking
If you are afraid of traffic jams, choose to walk. You can splash whoever you want, and when you encounter passing cars, run towards the car window and pour water inside. There will often be carnival-themed cars passing by on the road, playing rock music, and the people on the trucks are dressed up in various funny ways. There will also be groups of local people carrying small buckets filled with a white clay-like substance, smearing white powder on passersby’s bodies and faces. This powder is harmless to the body, and it also means eliminating disasters and praying for good luck. Don’t be afraid!
In addition, replacing ordinary water with ice water will increase your combat ability by 100%. For everyone who participates in the Water Festival, it is definitely a killer technique!
Here, regardless of race, nationality, language, or age, as long as you want to blend in, you can join the carnival. Admire the ten miles of spring breeze in the city, many temples and ancient sites, and experience the most popular way of celebrating festivals for local people.
Recommended places:
The outskirts of the ancient city, around the moat and the most bustling streets in the ancient city, from the San pa Khoi intersection to Wat Phra Singh
2:00PM Ignite the Afternoon, Float Parade
The lively parade passes through the ancient city, traditional Thai music plays along the streets, bells and drums sound together, devout Buddhists will sprinkle some fragrant water on the Buddha’s body, this ritual is called “bathing the Buddha (Bathing the Buddha image)”.
Float processions will be held in various districts, schools, and embassies of various countries in Chiang Mai, and will appear in the parade convoy, with magnificent flowers on the floats, and Thai beauties dressed up carefully sitting high on the floats. Their gorgeous clothes and accessories attract everyone’s attention. The parade convoy is very spectacular, the floats stop and go, interacting with the crowd. During the parade, there will be wonderful performances, adding a touch of traditional charm to the Chiang Mai Water Festival.
Recommended places:
The parade starts from the San pa Khoi intersection to Wat Phra Singh. Please go there at the right time to watch it.
7:00PM Beauty Pageant, Compete for Who is the Most Beautiful
Chiang Mai is a place where beautiful women come from, and naturally, the Water Festival activities cannot be without handsome men and beautiful women. Miss and Mister Songkran will also be in attendance in their finest attire on the day of the Water Festival, participating in beauty pageants. Don’t miss this opportunity to feast your eyes!
Most of these beautiful men and women come from various universities in Chiang Mai. The beauty pageant is divided into “Miss Songkran” and “Mister Songkran”. The judges will assess them based on their appearance, figure, temperament, knowledge, etc., and finally select the annual “Miss Songkran” and “Mister Songkran”.
Bangkok—Splashing in the City Center, Music Festival Frenzy
11:00AM Water War, On the Brink of Eruption
The Water Festival in Bangkok no longer simply represents Thailand, but is the most popular water-playing battlefield for young people all over the world.
If you are looking for a crazy party that gets you completely soaked, don’t miss Khao San Road! This is not only a bustling commercial area in Bangkok, but also a backpacker’s paradise. During the Water Festival, most shops on Khao San Road are closed, and you can see street vendors selling water guns and buckets everywhere.
5:00PM Music Carnival, Wet Party
In Bangkok, besides the water battles on Khao San Road and Silom Road, the S2O Water Music Festival held in the suburbs of Bangkok is also an absolute must-see.
The name S2O comes from the formula where water boils upon contact: S2O+2H2O=H2S+H2SO3. When the music festival meets the Water Festival, it is a moment when the whole place is “exploding”.
Every year, a large number of young people from all over the world gather here. Famous DJs from all walks of life take turns performing on stage. Indulge and revel in the music, enjoy the carnival-like atmosphere. How good is the atmosphere on site? You’ll know when you see the pictures.
The music festival usually starts at 5 o’clock, but traffic in Bangkok is described in three words: “stuck, stuck, stuck”, and during the festival, you can imagine how bad the traffic will be. It is recommended that you arrive at the scene one hour in advance.
From the moment you set off to the music festival, be prepared to “get soaked”. Along the way, you will see people carrying, carrying, and shouldering all kinds of water guns. Keep smiling even if you are splashed!
S2O also has high-pressure water guns and sprinklers that spray 360 degrees of coolness. Here, all participants will carry water guns and play freely in the water. The fire and fireworks devices on the stage, together with the luxurious lineup of Top 100 DJs, create an unparalleled sensory feast that will definitely not disappoint you!
Spicy Phuket—Beach Wet Party
Phuket focuses on the beach Water Festival, so most of the celebrations are held on the beach. In the entire Phuket, the Water Festival is most concentrated in Patong Beach, Karon Beach and Phuket Town, with Patong Beach, where tourists are most concentrated, being the main location, and the main battlefield in Patong is the Patong Bar Street.
Clothing
Don’t think that you can just casually walk around the street and not participate in the splashing. During the Water Festival, it is best to wear quick-drying and comfortable clothes. Dark-colored T-shirts, dark-colored shorts and sandals are best. To prevent “showing off” after getting wet, you can wear a swimsuit close to your body.
It’s best to bring an extra set of clothes and change them in time to prevent catching a cold. You can also try the flower shirts that local people love the most, which are very eye-catching in colorful colors.
Sunscreen
Phuket in April has clear skies and strong UV rays. You can apply sunscreen beforehand. 7-11 is everywhere in Thailand, and there are all kinds of sunscreen brands. Nivea, Biore, etc. are the first choice.
Waterproof Case
Waterproof cases for mobile phones and cameras can prevent damage during the water war. Carrying a waterproof GoPro is also a good choice.
Water Battle Tools
Combat tools such as water buckets and water guns can be bought on the battlefield. Must-haves for combat.
Among all combat equipment, water buckets are absolutely the best in terms of defense and offense, even though they are primitive and ordinary! See one, splash one, giving passersby a sudden chill. Water guns can provide continuous output, long-range attacks are an absolute advantage, and they can be used to sweep shot while walking.
Waterproof Goggles
The cleanliness of the water used for splashing is limited, and it may cause discomfort if it enters the eyes. A pair of waterproof goggles is essential.
Waterproof Bag
It is very important to have a waterproof bag to protect important documents in the midst of flying water. Protect your valuables, and you can rest assured and boldly engage in a crazy water battle.
Today’s Water Festival has evolved into a festival for Thais and people from all over the world to gather in Thailand to celebrate together. A carnival celebration for the whole world, a festival that instantly takes adults back to childhood, a cool and infinitely wet party! It’s already 2019, are you not going to join in?
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