Amidst the earthquake scare, Songkran Water Festival in Thailand still attracts millions of tourists

Water gun fight between motorcyclists and people on both sides of the road - Photo: AFP

Songkran is the traditional New Year and the New Year festival according to the Buddhist calendar of the Thai people, corresponding to April 13, 14 and 15 every year according to the Gregorian calendar.

Similar to Lunar New Year in Vietnam, Thai people clean their houses, gather with relatives and family, eat traditional dishes, visit pagodas, perform many religious rituals such as Buddha bathing or traditional customs to show respect to ancestors, grandparents and parents.

The special thing about Songkran is that people will splash water and smear flour on each other to wish each other good luck. Therefore, Songkran is also known as the Water Splashing Festival.

"Sea of ​​people" participated in water splashing in Silom Road area, Bangkok capital on April 13 - Photo: AFP

On April 15, the last day of the three-day Songkran 2025 festival, Thai Minister of Tourism and Sports Sorawong Thienthong confidently affirmed that this year's Water Festival was a great success, with tourism revenue and the number of visitors higher than expected.

According to Thairath newspaper, the three top “water arenas” in Bangkok, Sanam Luang, Silom and Khao San, attracted 917,000 people to participate in a series of events such as parades, music performances and most importantly, water fights.

In Chiang Mai province, in the mountainous region of northern Thailand, the Pa Weni Pi Mai Muang Festival (also known as Lao New Year) attracted about 132,000 participants, up 36% compared to 2024.

Similar to Thailand's Songkran, Lao New Year also takes place from April 13 to 16 every year to celebrate the new year according to the Buddhist calendar. People also visit temples and splash water to wish for good luck on Lao New Year.

In addition, Songkran events and festivals in other areas of Thailand such as Khon Kaen province, Nong Khai province or Hat Yai city bordering Malaysia also attracted more than 120,000 participants. Many Malaysians came to Hat Yai city to celebrate the water festival.

At three major “water arenas” in Bangkok, tourists and people from all over Thailand flocked not only to participate in water fights

Previously, many people in the "land of golden pagodas" were concerned that the effects of kidnapping and human trafficking to scam centers in Myanmar would cause international tourists to "avoid" Thailand.

Not only scams, what makes tourists afraid of traveling to Thailand is also earthquakes, because just a few weeks ago aftershocks from the terrible earthquake in Myanmar affected this country.

According to Minister Sorawong, although the number of Chinese tourists has decreased slightly, the number of European tourists, typically Russian tourists, has increased. In particular, European tourists are among the highest spending tourists in Thailand.

He said the number of tourists coming to Thailand is important, but the more important factor is how much tourists spend in the country.

The head of Thailand's Ministry of Tourism and Sports believes that the "huge" revenue from the past three days of the Water Festival will be an important mechanism to boost the country's economy.

Thai Prime Minister Paethongtarn Shinawatra and his father, former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, perform the custom of pouring water on a grandmother in the Shinawatra clan, to show respect to the family elders in their hometown of Chiang Mai, northern Thailand - Photo: THAIRATH

According to Thai tradition, the wetter you get, the luckier you will be in the new year - Photo: AFP

To serve the needs of Buddhists, not only temples and pagodas but also shopping centers have opened places to perform the Buddha Bathing ceremony to show respect to Buddha - Photo: THAIRATH

Actress and model Chompoo Araya transforms into a Songkran fairy with her daughter sitting on a palanquin, during a parade in the capital Bangkok. Every year, a number of Thai celebrities are chosen to play the seven Songkran fairies, sitting on palanquins and parading around the streets - Photo: THAIRATH

Traffic accidents drop 20% in three Songkran days

On the same day, April 15, Thai Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra sent his thanks to the authorities, police forces and people who joined hands to help reduce traffic accidents during the 2025 Water Festival.

Similar to Vietnam, many people tend to eat and drink freely during Tet. In particular, the traditional Thai custom of splashing water and spreading flour also contributes to the danger for people participating in traffic during Songkran.

However, the total number of accidents from April 11 to 15 was 1,000, down 21.5% compared to the same period in 2024.

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UYEN PHUONG

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/giua-am-anh-dong-dat-tet-te-nuoc-songkran-o-thai-lan-van-hut-ca-trieu-du-khach-20250415211631445.htm