The Cha-Am Municipality is inviting Thais and foreigners to celebrate the Songkran festival on 13 April at the Municipal office and on the Cha-Am beach. On 14 March, Mr. Amnart Witthaya, the Municipal Permanent Secretary and acting Cha-Am Mayor, attended a meeting to prepare the celebration for the traditional Thai New Year at the Cha- Am Municipality.
The meeting was also participating by representatives from governmental agencies, schools, hotels and community leaders at Cha-Am municipal areas. According to Mr. Amnart, the upcoming Songkran festival in Cha-Am will take place all day and night on 13 April.
It will start early in the morning with 2 traditional ceremonies: offering alms to 200 Buddhist monks and pouring water to the hands of 108 seniors from Cha-Am communities and asking for their blessing. The 2 activities begin at 7 a.m. and end at 10 a.m. After 2 ceremonies will be a big parade of Nang Songkran or Miss Songkran starting at the Long Beach Cha-Am Hotel to the Cha-Am Municipality at 11 a.m.
Then, at 12 p.m., the Phetchaburi Governor Mr. Winai Buapradit will preside over the official opening ceremony. One of the daytime highlight activities, the parade consists of more than 10 big processions, each of which has a lot of beautiful Songkran Lady dressed in traditional Thai costumes. Organizers of the processions include governmental offices, communities and schools in the city.
Many hotels also host the processions as Long Beach Cha-Am, Methawalai, Dusit Thani, Wiranda Resort & Spa, Grand Pacific, Holiday Inn Resort, Regent Beach Cha-Am, Palm Hill Golf Course Resort & Country Club, Sheraton Hua Hin Resort & Spa and Spring Field Hotel & Golf Course. Beginning at 7.30 p.m., the evening activities feature colorful fireworks, music performances of Catthareeya Marasri and Monsit Khamsoi and a comedy show by Super Joke. The Cha- Am Municipality has already prepared over 2,000 seats for the audience.
Aiming to foster Thai tradition and culture, especially the Thai New Year, Cha-Am Songkran festival also promotes polite and well-mannered water tossing on the street during the celebration. An unmissible festive event of Cha-Am, the Songkran celebration is sure to take a lot of visitors, both Thais and foreigners alike.
