Songkran Means Water Fun in Thailand

If you're thinking of taking a flight to Bangkok, be sure to make it in time for the traditional Thai new year celebrations this spring.

Songkran the traditional Thai new year is celebrated with some fervor between April 13th and 15th in the Thai capital Bangkok and indeed all over Thailand.

Visitors can expect to get wet - and there is absolutely no point trying to avoid it - as the country descends into one big water fight for the national holiday and important family celebration. This Thai national festival is comparable to carnival in Brazil.

From demure grannies to excited children, everyone joins in the fun, throwing water that is as likely to be scented with jasmine as it is to be laced with flour.

The Buddhist or traditional new year festival, known in Thailand as Songkran, is celebrated most avidly in the northern cultural center of Chiang Mai.

It takes over the city, a favorite spot among tourists, bringing carnival floats armed with water buckets to soak passers by, making Chiang Mai a great place to enjoy the fun.