In Brasil, Germany, the south of the Netherlands we have Carnival, in Thailand and Cambodia it’s Songkran. The craziness isn’t much different: wear clothes that can get wet, put your phone in a waterproof bag, buy a water gun somewhere, and off you go to the Moat, Nimman, or Zoe in Yellow to dive into the biggest water fight in the world for three days. Just like during Carnival, everyone gets at least quite tipsy, so try to avoid moving from A to B in traffic as much as possible — many people drive drunk.

The spiritual meaning of Songkran is ‘cleansing.’ You can even go to the temple to join such a ritual and pour water over a loved one to cleanse them. A time for renewal, grateful for the return of water (the fertile rainy season). Fun fact of the day: “Songkran” means ‘movement’ or ‘change’ in Sanskrit, referring to the movement of the sun in astrology.