Songkran is known to most visitors to Thailand as the Water Festival. In fact it’s the Thai, Burmese and Sri Lankan New Year. Its origins go way back to ancient India where it may have been a sort of Spring festival. As such its timing resonates well with us and the fresh, new growth we’re beginning see around us, the greening of the hedgerows and the blossoming of the rich variety of fruit trees in our gardens. To mark this renewal the Thais traditionally pay their respects by bathing their elders, beginning with the Buddha and it’s from that that the well-known water throwing progresses.

It’s become a tradition for us to celebrate Songkran both here at The Forest Hermitage and in Nottingham at Yod and Nid’s YodSiam Thai Restaurant. This year the Songkran Day fell on a Sunday so Yod decided to ask us to go to him the day before and then the next day we did it all again here. Both were wonderful days, even if the slightly chilly weather did reduce the water spillage somewhat!

There are pictures here of the day at YodSiam on the 12th and here of our celebration at The Forest Hermitage on 13th of April.