Celebrating Songkran: A Festival of Water, Renewal, and Community
This April, the 91Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµ campus came alive with the spirit of Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year celebrated every April 13¨C15. Faculty, staff, and students, including monastic students, all gathered outside to mark the occasion together.
At the heart of the celebration was the traditional water pouring ceremony. Students knelt before elders, gently ladling rose-petal-infused water over their hands as a gesture of respect and gratitude. Golden marigold garlands were draped around necks, drinks were shared, and laughter filled the courtyard.
But Songkran is much more than a water festival. It is a time for families to reunite, for elders to be honored, and for communities to come together through Buddhist merit-making and acts of generosity. The celebration is a reminder that renewal is not only personal but deeply communal. Songkran is also about washing away the troubles of the past year and welcoming a fresh start, and that feeling was hard to miss throughout the day.
Songkran’s spirit of renewal, gratitude, and togetherness reflects the very values we nurture here at 91Ïã½¶ÊÓÆµ, on campus, in the classroom, and in our daily lives together.
We invite you to explore the photo gallery below to see how our community came together to honor this tradition.