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Tipped to be one of the most colourful and engaging local festivals in Thailand, Songkran is an annual event of truly monumental cultural significance. Three months after the rest of the world celebrated the dawn of a new year, this vibrant festival harking in the new year in the month of April is one of the best reasons to head down to Bangkok this holiday season. Also known as the Thai Water Festival, the Songkran festival of 2013 is due to take place from the 13th to the 15th of April with the days declared a public holidays all across the great nation. Formerly calculated according to the Thai lunar calendar, the event is now marked according to the Georgian calendar and typically falls between the 13th and 15th of April every year.

Regarded as the most significant cultural event in the country, Thai residents around the country set aside these auspicious days to engage in conventional customs and rituals as well as enjoy one another’s company in an annual event that truly encapsulates the Thai spirit of togetherness.

Religious activities also hit an all time high during Songkran as Thais head to their local temples to pay their respects to Lord Buddha and bathe Buddha images as a mark of reverence. Cleansing Buddha images is also a practice that is common during this time of year while alms for Buddhist monks are also offered by pious devotees in temples or wats across Thailand. The street side water fights have also become an integral part of Songkran as a traditional ritual has transformed in to a national sport of sorts during the holiday season. In its heyday young Thais would pour water gently on elders to bless them and guarantee good fortune to the entire family for the coming year. This ritual has now evolved in to a larger than life street water fight with Thais hurling buckets of water on passersby and loved ones in the spirit of camaraderie.

Those visiting Bangkok this April can witness Songkran festivities at the national event in Rattankosin Island while the areas around Sanam Luang, Khao San Road and the Grand Palace also serve as focal points of the celebration. The statue of the Phra Budha Sihing will also be on show at Sanam Luang Park and visitors can join locals in bathing the famed image of Lord Buddha.

Travellers on the lookout for a stylish Sukhumvit hotel should look to the Grand Millennium Sukhumvit Bangkok for all their accommodations. Ideally located in a picturesque landscape this Bangkok hotel is one of the finest rests in the Thai capital.

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