Most of us are looking forward to Easter this weekend, but there is also Passover that falls on the same week, Passover starts at sundown tonight, and Easter comes at sunrise on Sunday. So what’s the third holiday?
As for the Buddhist, especially the Lao and Thais, it’s the New Year or Songkran, the water festival. This is a call for celebration, as for me, I’m looking forward to the festive celebration at my local temple, the weather is supposed to be real nice this weekend. Below are photos from Last year.
Some people are having morning Almsgiving at their house for house blessing (I hope to be able to take lots of pictures to share). This is to sweep away all the bad things of the previous year, and start fresh with the New Year, and new beginning.
No matter which holiday you’re celebrating, what these holidays have in common is food. Food is a dominant player in Passover, Easter, and Lao/Thai New Year.
Photo by hirschwrites
Photo by Beck Exposed
Then the food offering to our local monks last year, lots and lots of foods.
It is also believed that Passover and Easter are spring festivals, and I do have to say that our New Year is also a kickoff celebration before the farming season, in a sense, it is also a spring festival. I hope you all have a safe celebration.
Nye Noona 
Hi, Cool pictures! Like you I’m amazed that so many different cultures celebrate holidays at or around the same time too. My parents are Buddhists so they’ll be getting up really early on Saturday morning and Sunday morning to participate at our local temple’s ceremony. My sister is Christian so she’ll be busy with her Good Friday and Easter celebrations with her fiance. As for me I have to work on Saturday all day, but I”m going to try to catch some fun on Sunday. And oh lots of food will be involved no matter if I can’t attend the festivities.
Toon, I’ll be busy taking pictures starting tomorrow, a Lao/Thai restaurant owner is having a Buddha house blessing at their house, so the food should be good, can’t wait. Then Lao New Year on Sunday at my local temple.
My boss is Jewish, so he is celebrating Passover, it’s a busy week for everyone for sure. 🙂
I might not attend the songkran festival this year. 😦
But hopefully things turn out for me.
lady0fdarkness, that’s too bad, but in case you don’t get to go, I’ll take lots of pictures to share. Happy Lao New Year to you and yours. 🙂
Happy Lao New Year Nye! Watch out for the buckets of water! 😉
Salat, same to you. This should be a fun year…can’t wait. 🙂
Look at all them Lao foods. It make me so hungry now.
Ainoo, Lao New Year at the local Wat is lots of food, I think you should attend if you’ve a chance. Sabaidee Pee Mai to you.
Happy Songkran Nye 🙂
Thanks Will, I’m not sure what you’re celebrating, but have a good one. 🙂
No celebrations of anything over here actually (as a non Christian/Cathaloic etc so no Easter, and not actually being a Lao/Thai etc so no Songkran).
That said, mum probably is/did celebrate it this weekend in Sydney over at grandma’s place. And I do remember celebrating the Lao New Year with grandma in the past by pouring the perfumed water (with flower petals in it) on the Buddha statue if i’m up there during this time of yr. Though, at home I have never celebrated it with my mum.
It’s now 12:17am, Monday 13th of April, so I guess Songkran has officially started over here 😛
Will, I think it’s more fun celebrating Songkran in Thailand or Laos. When I was little living in Thailand, I always looked forward to the New Year celebration, especially the water festival part, then the event at the temple is very festive. Here in the US, it’s too cold to splash water so people play with that white stuff, I’m not sure if it’s whip cream or what, but seems like fun.