Welcome to Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Chiang Mai Municipal office organize and cerebrate Songkran festival annually. This year the festival will be held from April 13 - 15.
Songkran Festival has been the heritage of the northerners for several hundred years. The festival is regarded as the Northern Thai New Year Cerebration which is officially April 13 of every year. Thailand's Songkran Festival is by far the most important event of the year for the Thai people. It's a time of fun and a special time for new year ritual and respect for water, the most important element in the agricultural culture of Southeast Asia. The term Songkran itself means, ''a move or change in the position of the sun from Aries to Taurus.'' Songkran derives fom the Pali word "Sankhara" which refers to the sun passing from one zodiacal house to another. In this case from Pisces to Aries. This festival is though to have originated with the animist Tai (Dai) people in Yunnan or Vietnam, as a fertility ceremony which coincides with the traditional New Year and occurs during the dry season, well after the rice harvest and before the rains allow planting a new crop. The larger Songkran Festival as it is celebrated today is comprised of four days. The first two are the 'Troot Festival', and the second two immediately follow and are a time for relaxation and merriment after attending to family and religious duties.

Songgran is officially set of April 13th, the festival stretches over four days, each with its different focus and activities. The first day, April 13th, Songgran day is called Wan Sangkhan Luong, and the day of the new year Pavenee Pee Mai. According to local legend, Wan Sangkhan Luong is 'the day that Lady Sangkhan passes by' as the word Luong means to 'go away' or 'pass by'.Technically its is the last day of the Lanna lunar year and the start of Pavenee Pee Mai. April 13th,"Wan Sangkan Luong (Sangkan Luong Day)" is the last day of the old year. Firecrackers are detonated in the morning to send the old year on its way and to drive away evil spirits. Houses and gardens are throughly cleaned, bodies and hair washed and nails manicured. Traditionally acacia oil was applied to the hair to drive away all misfortune. This is the day when the area's principle Buddha images are paraded along Tha Phae Road to Wat Phra Singh. Led by the Phra Sihing Buddha Image, the statues are reverently cleansed with lustral water while every mortal gets completely drenched.