Songkran is Thailand’s vibrant New Year festival, held each April to mark renewal, joy, and community. Rooted in ancient tradition, it began as a gentle ritual, water delicately poured over Buddha statues and the hands of elders, symbolising purification, respect, and the washing away of misfortune.

But over time, this serene custom has evolved into something wildly exuberant. For one week, the streets erupt into all-out water warfare. Locals and tourists alike become gleeful combatants, armed with buckets, hoses, and water guns. The boundaries dissolve, no one is exempt, no corner dry. It’s a sensory overload of laughter, music, and motion, where cultural ritual collides with unrestrained celebration.

This transformation from sacred rite to chaotic release captures the energy and contradictions of modern Thailand, a place where tradition and play dance together in the heat of April.