Songkran Water Festival Celebration at Central Festival Shopping Mall in Pattaya, Thailand
A massive crowd celebrates Songkran, the Thai New Year water festival, outside Central Festival shopping mall in Pattaya, Thailand on April 19, 2019. Revelers in colorful tropical shirts participate in traditional water fights as water sprays from elevated stages.
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The Water Festival Begins
Thousands gather outside Central Festival Pattaya, one of Thailand's largest shopping malls, for the annual Songkran celebration. The air fills with water spray as participants armed with water guns and buckets embrace the traditional cleansing ritual.
A Cultural Phenomenon
Songkran marks the Thai New Year and represents washing away bad fortune from the previous year. What began as a gentle pouring of scented water over Buddha images and elders' hands has evolved into a nationwide water fight that draws tourists from around the world.
Pattaya's Unique Celebration
Pattaya's version of Songkran is particularly famous, with the beachfront city transforming into a massive water battlefield. The Central Festival mall area becomes a focal point, where locals and visitors alike don colorful Hawaiian shirts and take to the streets for days of celebration.
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