“Songkran” derives from the Sanskrit word “sankranti”, which literally means “going from one place to another, transference, or course change”, meaning astrological passage – the Sun’s entry into the constellations or the Sun’s passage from one zodiac sign to another.
Songkran coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart and with the New Year of many Buddhist and Hindu calendars of Southeast and South Asia.
The change was adopted when the country, then known as “Siam”, was under the rule of Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram on the grounds that it was in line with the civilised world.
The Siamese celebrated Western New Year long before the country officially adopted it in 1941. Historical records show that King Rama IV began sending New Year’s cards to his Western friends in 1866 after learning that January 1 was their New Year’s Day.
Siam…
