Songkran is the festival to welcome the New Year and takes place between 13 and 15 April, when the astral year begins. This year’s celebration in Barcelona, slightly later than usual, offered citizens a chance to become familiar with Thai traditions.

Tasting som tam (a typical papaya salad) and satay (meat skewers), playing ri ri khao san (a traditional Thai game) and watching traditional Thai dancing were just a few of the activities on offer at the Songkran Festival, the celebration for the Thai New Year in Barcelona.

Organised by the Associació d’Amics de Tailàndia Samakkhi, the event is a chance to get to know Barcelona’s Thai community and its traditions. The festival was held at Arc de Triomf and went on until 6 pm, turning the area into a small recreation of the Asian country and welcoming the year 2559.

Buddhism plays a strong part in the festival and so Buddhist rituals also formed part of the day, with offerings for monks, the lighting of candles, prayer and meditation. Songkran is actually an important date on the Buddhist calendar as it represents transition or change. In Thailand, water fights are often held and represent purification.