PHICHIT 21 April 2014 — Locals of Phichit yesterday celebrated the end of Songkran with a traditional flag ceremony marking the end of the Thai New Year.
Residents of Ban Nong Son, Phichi province, on Sunday celebrated the end of this year’s Songkran festival with a display of intricate flag parades. The water festival ran from April 13 till April 20, the last day of the New Year celebration, which was the day of the flag parade — part of the local culture.
Locals in the region gathered together to weave and create beautiful designs for their flags before mounting them on long bamboo poles for the parade. The celebration marked the end of the age-old Songkran festival.
Apart from the flag parade, religious ceremonies were also performed, including the offering of Buddhist robes to the monks in the temples, as well as prayers and blessings to officially end the old year and begin a new one.
The flag parade in Phichit province that marks the end of Songkran is a well-preserved tradition that has been handed down for over a hundred years to this day. It also gives a chance for locals to get together and celebrate one of their beautiful traditions.
