Know the Songkran Festival, New Year's tradition in Thailand

Jakarta – Songkran festival is a very popular traditional New Year’s celebration in Thailand. This festival is also one of the largest national holidays in the white Elephantland. This year, the Songkran festival began on April 11. This time, however, the celebration was colored by a traffic accident incident. At least 59 people were killed and hundreds of others sustained injuries in traffic accidents that occurred in different regions for the first two days of Songkran. The Songkran 2025 festival incident According to a report by the Highway Safety Center, as reported by Nation Thailand and UN Express International, Tuesday (4/15/2025), at least 460 traffic accidents took place during Friday (11/4) and Saturday (12/4) local time. Browse to continue with the content reported, faster and driving in a state of intoxication is the main cause. A total of 59 people were killed and 158 people were injured in the series of accidents, the majority of victims were named 20 to 29 years old. Thailand’s Justice Minister Tawee Sodsong said the road safety center has been monitoring traffic accidents since Friday (11/4). According to Tawee, 248 traffic accidents were recorded during Saturday (12/4). Although the streets in the Bangkok area are relatively quiet due to the many trips from the city for the holidays, the largest number of deaths recorded in the area. According to the Thai PBS media report, at least 9 deaths occurred in the Bangkok area. This Water War Festival is known as “Seven Dangerous Days”. Although it attracts many tourists, but high risk. Last year, 287 people died in a traffic accident during the celebration, while in 2023 264 victims died. Apart from the incident, let’s get to know more about the Songkran Festival, which is a traditional Thai New Year’s Day. In 2023, Songkran was included in the list of the Unesco -Humanitary Cultural Heritage. Songkran in Thailand, quoted on the UNESCO page, was the annual transition from the sun to the constellation of Aries, which was the beginning of a traditional new year. This celebration took place in mid -April after the rice crop, when people gathered with the family to pay tribute to parents, ancestors and Buddhist statues. During Songkran, water pours into a symbol of cleaning, respect and happiness. In addition, there are activities such as bathing Buddhist statues, pouring water for family and friends, folk performances, music and festive parties. This tradition is continued orally from generation to generation through social interaction in the family. Educational institutions, government and media also play a role in the conservation of policies related to Songkran. This festival teaches unity, forgiveness and respect for families and parents, while helping to overcome social loneliness and isolation. (WIA/IMK) HOEGENG Awards 2025 Read the inspiring story of the exemplary police candidate here