The Thai New Year festival is called Songkran and lasts for three days from 13 to 15 April according the Gregorian calendar. The customs are many such as people throw water over one another, under the guise of that it will bring good rains in the coming year and all the Buddha statues or images are washed. They visit the monastery to pray and offer gifts of rice, fruit, sweets and other foods for the monks.

Another custom to bring good luck, was to release birds from their cages or fish from their bowls. They carry a fish bowl to the river to release their fish all at the same time as one another.

They might also play the game known as Saba which is a game rather like skittles.

The New Year celebrations start by people chasing each other down the street with buckets of water.

This is also a day for good deeds for karama-polishing acts.

Along the riverbanks, people gather to build pyramids of sand, called chedis, into which they stick tiny colored flags.