Songkran
| Songkran | |
|---|---|
| Official name | Different names denote the festival across South and Southeast Asia |
| Observed by | Thais, Laos, Cambodians, Sri Lankans, Burmese, Nepalis, Bengalis, Dai and certain ethnic groups of India |
| Significance | Marks the new year |
| Date | Generally 13 April (Southeast Asia) or 14 April (South Asia) |
| Frequency | Annual |
Songkran is a term derived from the Sanskrit word, saṅkrānti (or, more specifically, meṣa saṅkrānti). It refers to the traditional New Year celebrated in Thailand, Laos and several other Southeast Asian and South Asian countries when the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, as reckoned by sidereal astrology:
- Cambodian New Year
- Songkran (Lao), in Laos
- Sinhalese New Year, in Sri Lanka
- Songkran (Thailand)
- Thingyan, in Myanmar
- Nepali New Year
- Vaisakhi, in Punjab, India
- Pohela Boishakh, West Bengal, India and Bangladesh
- Vishu, in Kerala, India
- Kashmiri New Year, in Jammu and Kashmir, India
- Pana Sankranti, in Odisha, India
- Meitei Cheiraoba, in Manipur, India
- Ugadi, in Telangana, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, India
- Puthandu, in Tamil Nadu, India
- Bihu, in Assam, India
- Dai New Year, celebrated by the Dai people of Yunnan, China and the Tai Dam people of northern Vietnam.[1][2]
Easter weekend occasionally coincides with Songkran (in Thailand, most recently in 1979, 1990, and 2001, but not again until 2085[3]).
See also
References
- ^ https://www.lonelyplanet.com/china/yunnan/xishuangbanna-region/travel-tips-and-articles/76569
- ^ http://pattayadailynews.com/sawatdee-pee-mai-happy-new-year-to-all-our-devoted-wet-readers/
- ^ Ronald M. Mallen (April 2002). "Easter Dating Method". Astronomical Society of South Australia. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012.
List of Easter Sunday Dates 2000-2099