Wan Lai in Pattaya

If you are visiting Pattaya somewhere in the middle of April do not forget to stay till 19th of April. Then you can surely be a part of the Wan Lai Festival. The famous Wan Lai festival is probably an extended celebration of Sangkran, a Thai festival that is celebrated on the occasion of Thai New Year. The Wan Lai day is a special festival that is celebrated locally in and around Pattaya and is one of the specialties of this region. The rituals of this festival are very beautiful. You are surely going to enjoy a lot taking part in this wonderful festival.

In Thai language Wan Lai festival means flower water festival and the festival is as beautiful as its name. The Wan Lai festival is traditionally a festival which is celebrated in the eastern region of Thailand. This festival begins with the Sangkran festival which is one of the most well known festivals of Thailand. In Sangkran festival people welcome the Thai New Year with joy and gusto. This festival takes place around 13th to 15th of April in rest of the country other than the eastern Thailand. The Wan Lai day follows immediately after that. In eastern Thailand, the Sangkran festival begins around 16th or April and ends on 19th of the same month.

Some of the fun traditions of Sangkran are followed in the Wan Lai day. Like Sangkran in Wan Lai festival too, people carry water barrels, water guns and other watering agents on street and drench each other. It is surely a fun way to cool off. April is one of the hottest months in Thailand, so this drench comes as a refreshing and welcome change to the people of Thailand. Different processions, paying respect to the elders and praying at the monasteries are the other rituals that are performed in the Wan Lai day.

Songkran - A Thai Festival

Thailand is a country well known for its rich cultural heritage. The country celebrates a number of festivals throughout the year. These festivals are an integral part of the rich cultural heritage of Thailand. Some of these Thai festivals are religious festivals and others are not. However, there are some festivals that have both religious and general significance. Songkran is one such festival that has both religious significance and general significance. Songkran refers to the Thai New Year which is celebrated with joy and gusto all over Thailand. The Thai New Year or Songkran is celebrated every year in the western month of April. It is celebrated from 13th of April to 15th of April.

During the Thai festival songkran a number of rituals are practiced. The most prominent among these rituals is throwing of water. During Songkran Thai people roam on the street with containers of water and drench each other. They also use water guns and water hoses to drench each other. In Songkran the Thai people visit their elders and pay respect to them, it is also a time for family gathering and parties. During Songkran the Thai people also go to a wat or Buddhist Monastery to pray for a happy and prosperous year ahead. In some cities in Thailand Buddha images from all the monasteries are paraded on the streets so that every person can throw water to them and celebrate their new year with joy and gusto.

Like any other New Year celebration, Thailand also has some common practices. A number of people in Thailand also make New Year resolutions. They also celebrate the New Year with alcohol and foods. There are some western style celebrations on Songkran in Thailand. Nowadays, Thai people eat, drink and make merry on this day. The religious aspect of this festival often remains subdued these days.