Songkran is a  Thai  traditional  New Year, which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of  the old  year,  April 14 is Wan Nao, which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok,  which the New Year begins. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city  usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the  come, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.

     Songkran is a Thai word, which means "move" or "change place", as it is the day when the  sun  changes  its  position  in  the  zodiac.  It is  also  known, as the "Water Festival" as people believe that water will wash away bad luck.

     The Songkran tradition is  recognized as a valuable custom for the Thai community, society and religions. The value for family is to provide the opportunity for family members to gather in order to express their respects to the elders by pouring scented water onto the hands of their parents and grandparents and to present them gifts including making merits to  dedicate  the  result  to  their ancestors. The elders

     The values for community is to provide the opportunity to create unity in the community such as to  ointly  acquire merits, to meet each other and to enjoy the entertaining events. And  for the society value is to create concern upon environment with cooperation such as to clean houses, temples,  public places and official  buildings. Thais value the religion bye  means  of  merit  acquisition, offering alms to monks, Dhamma Practice, listening

     In the afternoon, after performing a bathing rite for Buddha images and the monks, the celebrants  both  young  and  old,  joyfully  splash  water  on  each  other.  The most-talked about  celebration  takes  place  in the northern province of Chiang Mai where Songkran is celebrated  from April 13 to 15. During this period, people from all parts of the country flock there  to  enjoy  the water  festival, to  watch  the  Miss  Songkran Contest and the beautiful parades.

     Loy Krathong Day is one of the most popular festivals of Thailand celebrated annually on the Full-Moon Day of the Twelfth Lunar Month.  It takes place at a time when the weather is fine as the rainy season

     "Loy" means"to float" and a"Krathong" is a lotus-shaped vessel made of banana leaves. The Krathong usually contains a candle, three joss sticks, some flowers and coins.

     In  fact, the festival is of Brahmin origin in whic people offer thanks to the Goddess of the water. Thus, by moonlight, people light the candles and joss sticks,

     Make a wish and launch their Krathongs on canals, rivers or even small ponds. It is believed that the Krathongs carry away sins and bad luck, and the wishes that have been made for the New Year due to start. Indeed, it is then time to be joyful and happy as the sufferings are floated away.

     The festival starts in the evening when there is a full moon in the sky. People of all walks of life carry their Krathongs to the nearby rivers. After lighting candles and joss sticks and making a wish, they gently place the Krathongs on the water and let them drift away till they go out of sight.

     A Beauty Queen Contest is an important part of the festival and for this occasion it is called "The Noppamas Queen Contest". Noppamas is a legendary figure from the Sukhothai period. Old documents refer to her as the chief royal consort of a Sukhothai Kng named "Lithai". Noppamas was said to have made the first decorated Krathong to float in the river on the occasion.

     In Bangkok, major establishments such as leading hotels and amusement parks organize their Loy Krathong Festival and the Krathong contest as major annual function.

     For visitors to Thailand, the Loy Krathong Festival is an occasion not to be missed. The festival is listed in the tourist calendar. Everyone is invited to take part and share the joy and happiness.