<P> Songkran ( Thai : เทศกาล สงกรานต์ , pronounced ( thêːt. sā. kāːn sǒŋ. krāːn ) ; Khmer : សង្រ្កាន្ត ; Burmese : သင်္ကြန် ; Lao : ສົງການ ) is the Thai New Year 's national holiday . Songkran is 13 April every year , but the holiday period extends from 14 -- 15 April . In 2018 the Thai cabinet extended the festival nationwide to five days , 12 -- 16 April , to enable citizens to travel home for the holiday . The word `` Songkran '' comes from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti ( Devanāgarī : संक्रांति ) , literally `` astrological passage '' , meaning transformation or change . The term was borrowed from Makar Sankranti , the name of a Hindu harvest festival celebrated in India in January to mark the arrival of spring . It coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart and with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia , in keeping with the Buddhist / Hindu solar calendar . </P>
<P> Songkran ( Thai : เทศกาล สงกรานต์ , pronounced ( thêːt. sā. kāːn sǒŋ. krāːn ) ; Khmer : សង្រ្កាន្ត ; Burmese : သင်္ကြန် ; Lao : ສົງການ ) is the Thai New Year 's national holiday . Songkran is 13 April every year , but the holiday period extends from 14 -- 15 April . In 2018 the Thai cabinet extended the festival nationwide to five days , 12 -- 16 April , to enable citizens to travel home for the holiday . The word `` Songkran '' comes from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti ( Devanāgarī : संक्रांति ) , literally `` astrological passage '' , meaning transformation or change . The term was borrowed from Makar Sankranti , the name of a Hindu harvest festival celebrated in India in January to mark the arrival of spring . It coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart and with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia , in keeping with the Buddhist / Hindu solar calendar . </P>
what is the songkran festival and what does it mean
what is the songkran festival and what does it mean
the Thai New Year 's national holiday `` astrological passage ''
the Thai New Year 's national holiday `` astrological passage ''