Ayutthaya: Elephant Celebrations for Songkran

Ayutthaya: People joyfully interact with elephants during the water splashing festivities for the upcoming Songkran festival in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on April 10, 2026. The Songkran celebration, typically occurring from April 13 to 15, is also found in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Known as the Buddhist New Year, this holiday traditionally involves visiting family and pouring scented water over Buddha statues. The water-throwing custom represents the cleansing of bad luck from the previous year. (Xinhua via NationPress)

Ayutthaya: People joyfully interact with elephants during the water splashing festivities for the upcoming Songkran festival in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on April 10, 2026. The Songkran celebration, typically occurring from April 13 to 15, is also found in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Known as the Buddhist New Year, this holiday traditionally involves visiting family and pouring scented water over Buddha statues. The water-throwing custom represents the cleansing of bad luck from the previous year. (Xinhua via NationPress)

Ayutthaya: People joyfully interact with elephants during the water splashing festivities for the upcoming Songkran festival in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on April 10, 2026. The Songkran celebration, typically occurring from April 13 to 15, is also found in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Known as the Buddhist New Year, this holiday traditionally involves visiting family and pouring scented water over Buddha statues. The water-throwing custom represents the cleansing of bad luck from the previous year. (Xinhua via NationPress)

Ayutthaya: People joyfully interact with elephants during the water splashing festivities for the upcoming Songkran festival in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on April 10, 2026. The Songkran celebration, typically occurring from April 13 to 15, is also found in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Known as the Buddhist New Year, this holiday traditionally involves visiting family and pouring scented water over Buddha statues. The water-throwing custom represents the cleansing of bad luck from the previous year. (Xinhua via NationPress)

Ayutthaya: A woman engages with an elephant amid a water-splashing celebration for the upcoming Songkran festival in Ayutthaya, Thailand, on April 10, 2026. Songkran, typically occurring from April 13 to 15 in Thailand, is also observed in Laos, Cambodia, and Myanmar. Recognized as the Buddhist New Year, this festival historically involved family visits and the pouring of fragrant water over Buddha statues. The act of throwing water is emblematic of dispelling bad luck from the prior year. (Xinhua via NationPress)