Each year, from April 13-15th, all the people of Thailand turn out for the Thai New Year celebration of Songkran. Known as a water festival in the West, celebrants turn out into the streets with supersoakers, hoses, and pails to play with water; for these three specific days, no one is left out! If you're on the street, you're a fair target for the revelers. People smile, dance to local music, and wipe small amounts of clay on stranger's faces.
Songkran is a time for family, fun, and vacations. The capitol of Bangkok empties out as a majority of the population heads home to visit the family farm and spend with relatives not often seen. For comparison, in many ways Songkran is to Thailand what Christmas would be to most Western cultures.
So, if you are lucky enough to find yourself in Thailand over Songkran, grab a super soaker, go out on the street, and join in on the fun!
