Thailand is home to mouth-watering food, abundant shopping and rich culture. But when it comes to its best-known events, Songkran wins hands down. The festival marks the start of the Thai New Year and runs from Apr 13-15, with celebrations in some places lasting a week or more.

Traditionally, the main activity is Song Nam Phra, a ceremony where scented water is poured on sacred Buddha images in local temples as a form of spiritual cleansing. The holy water is then collected and gently poured over the hands of senior family members for luck, in a ritual called Rot Nam Dam Hua.