World Songkran Festival to last 21 days
published : 6 Feb 2024 at 06:25
writer: Gary Boyle
ORIGINAL SOURCE/WRITER: Online Reporters
The government will organise World Songkran Festival activities nationwide from April 1-21, according to a spokesman.
Chai Wacharonke said on Monday this followed Unesco's recent formal recognition of the Songkran festival as a cultural heritage.
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco) had already presented its certificate recognising the festival to the Culture Ministry, he said.
The World Songkran Festival would promote local Songkran traditions and activities. Its organisation would be the responsibility of cultural agencies in the 76 provinces and in the 50 districts of Bangkok, the spokesman said.
Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year, with nationwide celebrations normally on April 13-15 each year. Activities include offering alms to monks, pouring water over the palms of elders, cultural performances and often raucous and somewhat infamous water-splashing activities.
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Vocabulary
- agency (noun): a government department that provides a particular service - หน่วยงานราชการ
- alms: food, money, and other items that are given to Buddhist monks; money, clothes and food that are given to poor people - ของทำบุญ ของบริจาค
- certificate: an official document or record stating that particular facts are true - หนังสือรับรอง
- heritage: the art, buildings, traditions, and beliefs that a society considers important to its history and culture - มรดก ประเพณีที่ตกทอด
- infamous (adj): well known for something bad - เสียชื่อ, น่าอับอาย, น่าขายหน้
- palm (noun): the inner surface of the hand between the wrist and the fingers - ฝ่ามือ
- raucous: very noisy, excited or out of control - เสียงอึกทึกกึกก้อง
- recognition: the act of accepting that something exists, is true or is official - การยอมรับ, การรับรอง
- responsibility: a duty; a duty to deal with or take care of somebody/something, so that you may be blamed if something goes wrong - ความรับผิดชอบ
- spokesman: a person who speaks on behalf of a group or an organization - โฆษก
