1. M O N T H LY N E W S L E T T E R
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SONGKRAN
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Water Festival of Southeast Asia
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A
Ayuthaya’s Elephant
Kraal
of Smile
10am-10 pm
tivities
Fun Ac
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Thailand- The Lan
Merit-Making
Pay Respect to Buddha
Many Thai people celebrate
Songkran by visiting Buddhist
temple (wat) to pay respect to
Buddha and to give alms to
Buddhist monks. People also clean
Buddha images in the temple by
SPLASHING WITH E L E P H A N TgS gently pouring water on them.
plashin
ying water s
Tourist enjo
Water Fight
You could not afford to miss the ‘Songkran’ or ‘Water
Join in this extremely fun
Festival’ of Thailand in April. It’s a summer of 95 activity of splashing strangers on
degrees and it’s time to get soaking WET! the streets with water all in spirit of
good fun. Warning: Don’t forget to
bring your own water gun!!
H a ve f un i n t h e w a t e r f es t i val Sand Chedi
S ongkran Festival, also, known
as Thailand Water Festival, is
the most important festival for
Thai people. Celebrated as the
Songkran Water Fights
Songkran Festival is very closely
associated with water. Originally,
Practice your creativity on this sand
chedi competition in Songkran
Festival. The winner will receive a
people gently poured water onto the free meal at one of the best Thai
traditional Thai New Year, Thai people
hands of elders and family to give restaurants in town!
sprinkle water on the elders in show
good fortune. Now it has evolved to
of respect and pay respect to Thai Children’s Games
splashing strangers on the streets
Buddha images.
with water, either with a water gun or
Thai National Holiday a bucket of water, all in the spirit of Enjoy playing ‘Morn Sorn Pha’ or
‘Hiding a cloth’ game with Thai
Songkran 2012 is the most important good fun.
children. ‘Re Re Khao Sarn’ is
festival for Thais and is a Thai
national holiday. While the official During the afternoon of the 13th, another game
national holiday is for 3 days, from Buddha images are bathed as part you may
the 13th to 15th April. of the ceremony. Young people pour want to
The people can have up scented water into the hands of spend your
to a week off. elders and parents as a mark of time with.
respect while seeking the blessing of
Thai Greeting the older people. In ancient days, old Cultural Dance
Wa i i s g r a c e f u l l y people were actually given a bath and
clothed in new apparel Participate in elegant Thai Dance or
performed by all Thai
presented by the "Fawn Thai”. Thai Dance was
people to greet and young folks as a originally an art performed for the
to show respect to token of respect for royal courts of old Siam.
others. the New Year.
Tuke- Karnteera Ingkhaninan, Cultural Geography of Southeast Asia, Distance Education between LHS and SNY, Class of 2011