The
Songkran festival (, ,
listen] is celebrated in
Thailand as the traditional New Year's Day from 13 to 15 April. The word "Songkran" comes from the
Sanskrit word (
Devanāgarī: संक्रांति), literally "astrological passage", meaning transformation or change. It coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart, the New Year of many calendars of
South and
Southeast Asia. The festive occasion is in keeping with the
Buddhist/
Hindu solar calendar.