Bangkok: Songkran has commenced throughout Thailand, marking the Thai New Year with customary rituals and ceremonies. People across the nation are engaging in traditional practices of making merit by giving alms to monks and pouring water on Buddha images.

According to Thai News Agency, local leaders and residents participated in the Karen Thai Songkran tradition at Wat Sanephong in Sangkhla Buri. This event saw attendees visiting the temple to make merit, receive precepts, and listen to sermons. Following these spiritual activities, they paid homage to sacred objects and spirits believed to protect the village, a tradition upheld by the Karen community’s ancestors.

In Trang Province, the historical tradition of pulling the Buddha statue in the fifth lunar month was observed at Wat Khuan Khan. This ancient practice, which has endured for over 211 years, is now only maintained in a few locations across Thailand. This year, more than 1,000 Buddhists participated, offering alms to monks and taking part in the procession. The Buddha statue boat journeyed along a 500-meter route, during which boiled sweets were thrown from the boat for the people to enjoy as a symbol of auspiciousness.

In Uttaradit Province, a procession was organized to invite Luang Pho Tan Jai, a 241-year-old sacred wooden Buddha statue, to the celebrations. The event provided an opportunity for locals, tourists, and returning family members to pay homage and pour water on the statue, seeking good fortune for the Thai New Year.