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Songkran celebrations

Paying respects to elders is important in many Songkran celebrations, such as those in Songkran Thailand. As Thingyan in Myanmar; water throwing is a cleansing ritual of many Songkran celebrations. As Choul Chnam Thmey in Cambodia; pouring water on Buddha is important in SE Asia. Often known as blessing in Cambodia As Aluth Avuruddu in Sri Lanka; the blossoming of the Erythrina fusca symbolizes the advent of the New Year in Sri Lanka. As Pii Mai in Laos. Ancestor altars are common during New Year celebrations in Cambodia and Thailand. Songkran celebrations involve a variety of diverse traditions practiced in the many countries and regions that celebrate the traditional New Year festival

Songkran is the water-splashing festival celebration of Tai peoples in traditional new year for Buddhist calendar widely celebrated across South and Southeast Asia in Bangladesh, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand, parts of northeast India, parts of Vietnam and Xishuangbanna, China begins on 13th April of the year.

Etymology

The word Songkran or Songkrant (outdated Thai form), is also a Thai word or Siamese word, as contractive word in Thai forms of Sangkran (sim kranti), which derived from the Sanskrit word, saṅkrānti (or, more specifically, meṣha saṅkrānti) or Pali, Saṅkhāra. That is to say the term Songkran in Thai linguistics, is a loanword (Lexical borrowing) from another language where the original meaning of saṅkrānti (Sanskrit word) marked of the sun transits the constellation of Aries, the first astrological sign in the Zodiac, as reckoned by sidereal astrology. It is related to the equivalent Hindu calendar-based New Year festivals in most parts of South Asia which are collectively referred to as Mesha Sankranti.

Ethnic Groups

The word Songkran written in different ethnic groups, languages or cultures as the following,

• Da Gyan or Thingyan (Myanmar).
• Gin Sip Sèe (Tai Don, Tai Dam and Tai Tac in Sơn La province, Vietnam)
• Maha Sangkran, Moha Sangkran(Khmer).
• Mahasang Krane (Khmer, in French), translated from Pali to French in 1908 by Léon Faraut, son of Félix Gaspard Faraut, a French engineer who worked on the plan of Saigon colonial and accompanied Louis Delaporte in his exploration of Angkor.
• Poeng Songkran, Poeng Sakran or Poeng Sangkran (ပုၚ် သၚ်ကြာန်) (Thai-Ramanna, the Mon community in Nonthaburi province, Thailand).
• Poy Sangkhan (Tai Khuen).
• Poy Son Nam, Poy Sad Nam or Sangkhan Pee Mai (Tai Lue people in Xishuangbanna).
• Poy Sang Khan and Poy Sang Jan (Tai Nuea language and Tai-Dehong).
• Sangkhan, Boon Pee Mai or Pi Mai (Laos), derived from Pali.
• Sangxaan (Tai Lue people).
• Songkān or Pōshuǐjié (泼水节, 潑水節) (Zhuang and Dai in Yunnan).
• Songkaan (Southwestern Tai (Phu Thai) and central Laos).
• Sangkran (Mon, Lanna-Thai, Thai-Ramanna, Khmer, and Tai peoples in Northeast India.)
• Sangkyan (Shan people and upper Burmese people)..
• Sangken found in archive of Kamarupa Anusandhan Samiti (Assam Research Society) recorded by the oldest Research institution in North-East India mentions the Tai New Year’s festival or Water spraying festival of Tai peoples in Northeast India.
• Songkrant tai or Xadasite Songkrant (Siam Basu in Siamese Astronomical System), recorded by Sir John Bowring.
• Waan-aah-tah (Mon)

Khmer language

Songkran written as Sankranti can be found in many Khmer inscriptions, namely at these locations;

• Stone Inscription of Phimeanakas (K.291) dated 910 CE found in Siem Reap Province in Cambodia.
• Stone Inscription of Prasat Hin Pimai 2 (N.M.29, K.953) 1025 CE, Phimai Historical Park, Nakhon Ratchasima province, written as Sankranti. (Read and translated by Prof. Cham Thongkhamsuwan.)
• Stone Inscription of Wat Sa Kamphaeng Yai (S.K.1, K.374) 1042 CE, Sisaket province, written as Vishuva Sankranti. (Read and translated by Amphai Khamtho, the Fine Art Department of Thailand.)
• Stone Inscription of Prasat Phanom Wan (N.M.1, K.391) 1082 CE, Nakhon Ratchasima province, written as Sankranti which marked the beginning of the New Year. (Read and translated by Thongsub Subhamark.)
• Stone Inscription of Wat Phra That Choeng Chum (S.N.2, K.369) 1000-1100 CE, Sakon Nakhon province, written as Kranti, meaning of Songkran. (Read and translated by Assoc. Prof. Dr. Santi Pakdekham, Ph.D.).

Songkran in Cambodia written as Maha Sankran in 1904 by Étienne Aymonier and Maha sankrant or Sankrant in 1909 by Adhémard Leclère which marked the beginning of Cambodia New Year found in The Cambodian's Almanac and Its Calendar for 1907–1908.

Étienne Aymonier also distinguished the difference of the term Maha Sankran in Cambodia that only refers to the small official calendar which must appear for the new year, while in Siam (Thailand) which refers to the beginning of New year, Siamese called Sankranta, which pronounced as Songkran.

Thailand

Songkran in Sanskrit forms, written as Vishuva Sankranti in Khom script epigraphs, which marked the beginning of the New Year in the Odisha calendar and referred to the sun on midday has equally orbited in the day and night, was found in Thailand at these locations;

• The Royal Chronicle of Krung Sri Ayutthaya (The edition of Luang Prasoet Aksorn Niti), written in 1681 the reign of King Narai the Great, mentioned the word Songkran in event of King Naresuan the Great of Ayutthaya Kingdom marched his troops against Taungoo in 1599
• Nirat Than Sok. A poetic work composed by Prince Thammathibet Chaiyachet Suriyawong (1715–1755), son of King Borommakot of Ayutthaya Kingdom. The poem said of the Royal Ceremony of Marching Field and mentioned the word Songkran in month of Aries (according to Surya Siddhanta).
• Inscription of Maha Songkran at Wat Pho, Thailand, erected in 1831 the reign of King Rama III, written as Songkran.

The word Songkran not only can be found those Thai archaeological evidences, but also being recorded by foreigners who ever lived in Thailand. Its meaning especially marked the beginning of Songkran festival, holidays, water-splashing and Siamese new year observances different the meaning of the Sanskrit word, saṅkrānti which can be found in these contemporary archives;

• De Beschryving van Japan (The History of Japan) recorded by Engelbert Kaempfer in 1690 after he sailed reached to Siam in reign of King Phetracha of Ayutthaya Kingdom, Engelbert Kaempfer handwrote of Siamese New year observance as Sonkraen in old-17th century Dutch.
• Grammatica Linguæ Thai version of J. Bapt. Pallegoix written by Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix in 1850 while was living in Siam in reign of King Rama III. There are the word Songkran both in Thai and English.
• Sappa Pachana Pasa Thai (Template:Lang-th), the Thai-Latin-German-English Quadrilingual dictionary written in 1854 reign of King Mongkut, by Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix said of the word Songkran such in four languages as spelled in English; SONGKRAN, its meaning in Latin:- "Ad alium locum pergere; angelus qui praesidere anno", in French:- "Aller dans un autre endroit; ange qui préside à l'année." and in English:- "To go to another place; angel preside over the year." as well as written in the contemporary archive, Description du Royaume Thai ou Siam by Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix.
• Bangkok Calendar written in 1861 by Dan Beach Bradley, an American Protestant missionary to Siam from 1835 of The American Missionary Association (AMA), in reign of King Mongkut.
• A Journey Round the World in the Years 1875-1876-1877 by John Henry Gray, archdeacon of Hong Kong, in reign of King Chulalongkorn.
• The Siam Repository (1871) written by Samuel J. Smith, a Baptist missionary in Siam, at his office in Bangkok.
• The Pearl of Asia: Reminiscences of the Court of a Supreme Monarch (1892) written by Jacob T. Child, said of Songkran Holidays observance in Thailand.
• Siam: A Handbook of Practical, Commercial, and Political Information (1912) written by Walter Armstrong Graham, an adviser to the Thai government to the state of Kelantan (1903-1909).

Also found in these Thai contemporary archives;

• Khun Chang Khun Phaen, a Thai epic poem originated around 1600 in reign of King Naresuan, written as Songkran and described Siamese tradition observance at Wat Pa Lelai Worawihan (built in 1200 CE), Suphan Buri Province, e.g. making merit, sand parade procession to temples, forming pile of sand (sand stupas) at temples, and offering food to monks.
• The Concise Royal Chronicle of Ayutthaya Kingdom of royal forming pile of sand in reign of King Borommakot (1733-1758), written as Maha Songkran with description of tradition-inherited from past generations of King of Ayutthaya of forming pile of sand (sand stupas) with royal ornaments, offering food to monks, the sand parade procession, and musical fanfares.
• Rattana Gosa newsletter Issue of Chula Sakarat 1239 (1877 AD), reign of King Chulalongkorn, written as Songkran.

History

This section needs expansion. You can help by adding to it. (May 2023)

Songkran New Year Festivals

• Cambodian New year, in Cambodia
• Lao New Year, in Laos
• Sinhalese New Year, in Sri Lanka
• Songkran (Thailand)
• Thingyan, in Myanmar
• Sangken, in Arunachal Pradesh and parts of Assam, India
• Water-Splashing Festival, in Xishuangbanna in China and parts of northern Vietnam.

Festivities outside of Asia

Australia

Songkran celebrations are held in many parts of the country. One of the most notable celebrations is at the Wat Pa Buddharangsee Buddhist Temple in the Sydney suburb of Leumeah, New South Wales. The festival attracts thousands of visitors each year and involves a water fight, daily prayer, dance performances and food stalls which serve food of Thai, Bangladesh (CHT), Burmese, Cambodian, Laotian, Sri Lankan and Malaysian origin. In 2014, the celebration was attended by more than 2000 people. Similarly in the same suburb, the Mahamakut Buddhist Foundation organizes a Songkran celebration featuring chanting, blessing, a short sermon, a fund raising food fete and Southeast Asian traditional dances. Large scale Thai New Year (Songkran) celebrations are held in Thai Town, Sydney in the popular tourist suburb of Haymarket, New South Wales. In Melbourne, the Sinhalese (Sri Lankan) New Year festival is held annually in Dandenong, Victoria. In 2011, it attracted more than 5000 people and claims to be the largest Sinhalese New Year Festival in Melbourne. The Queen Victoria Market held a two-day Songkran event celebrating the Thai New Year in early April 2017. Songkran celebrations celebrating the Thai, Cambodian, Lao, Burmese and Sri Lankan New Year festivals are well known and popular among the residents of the Sydney suburb of Cabramatta, New South Wales which is home to large populations of Cambodians, Laotians and Thais. Temples and organisations hold celebrations across the suburb including a large Lao New Year celebration in the neighbouring suburb of Bonnyrigg organised in partnership with the Fairfield City Council. In the Melbourne suburb of Footscray, Victoria a Lunar New Year celebration initially focusing on the Vietnamese New Year has expanded into a celebration of the Songkran celebrations of the Thais, Cambodians, Laotians and other Asian Australian communities such as Chinese who celebrate the New Year in either January/February or April. Taronga Zoo in Sydney, New South Wales celebrated the Thai New Year in April 2016 with its Asian elephants and traditional Thai dancers.

United States

Songkran celebrations often occur in cities which host large Sri Lankan, Thai, Burmese, Laotian and Cambodian populations. The UW Khmer Student Association hosts a new year celebration at the University of Washington in Seattle. The White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival is held at the Golden House Bakery & Deli in Seattle. The Los Angeles Buddhist Vihara in Pasadena, California celebrates the Songkran festival with a focus on the Sri Lankan New Year. The Brahma Vihara in Azusa, California also holds celebrations with a Burmese New Year focus. The International Lao New Year Festival is held annually in San Francisco and celebrates the Lao New Year with acknowledgment of other Asian communities, Thai, Cambodian, Burmese, Sri Lankan and the Dai people of southern China, who also celebrate the same festival. In February 2015, the Freer and Sackler gallery in Washington D.C. held a Lunar New Year event celebrating the "Year of the Sheep" which also celebrated the Lunar New Year that occurs in mid-April for many other Asian countries. It included activities, information and food from China, Korea, Mongolia, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries that celebrated either of the two new year celebrations. Similarly in 2016, The Wing in Seattle held a Lunar New Year celebration centered around the East Asian Lunar New Year however also focused on New Year customs in Laos as part of its "New Years All Year Round" exhibit.

On April 2, 2024, The legislative assembly of New York State, adopted legislative bill of Commemorating the Asian American community's celebration of Songkran on April as an important cultural event on the state as Assembly Resolution No. 1059:-

Songkran is Thailand's most famous festival; this water festival marks the beginning of the traditional Thai New Year

— The legislative assembly of New York State, Assembly Resolution No. 1059, The New York State Senate. (April 2, 2024).

Notes

1. In the Dai zodiac, the elephant is the twelfth zodiac and thus will be considered the "Year of the Elephant".
2. The term Khom denotation given by Assoc. Prof. Santi Phakdeekham as it refers to the Tai ethnicity prior 1800 CE, inhabited in lower part of Chao Phraya River which is distinct separation between Angkor and Cambodia.

See also

• South and Southeast Asian New Year
• List of Buddhist festivals
• Mesha Sankranti, the term used to refer to the related Hindu calendar-based New Year festivals of April
• Water Festival, a tradition practiced during certain Songkran celebrations
• Thai calendar

References

1. "Chinese Zodiac". Warriortours.com. Retrieved 7 January 2019.
2. A Research School of Pacific Studies, Australian National University. (2001, Jan 1). Thai-Yunnan Project: The Tai World: A Digest of Articles from the Thai-Yunnan Project Newsletter, in Memory of Gehan Wijeyewardene, by Gehan Wijeyewardene, Andrew Walker and Nicholas Tapp, Dept. of Anthropology. Oakland, CALIFORNIA: Masalai Press. 272 pp. p. 78. "water-splashing at Songkran the symbol of Tai"
   • Brehm, W., Gita Steiner-Khamsi, Yuto Kitamura, Shigeru Aoyagi, and Thongchai Winichakul. (2022). Memory in the Mekong: Regional Identity, Schools, and Politics in Southeast Asia. New York: Teachers College Press, Columbia University. 200 pp. ISBN 978-080-7-76636-1. p. 88. "Thai and Tai people are alternately referred to, we can observe that another criterion for being Thai is “Thai culture and customs,” with an example of the celebration of Songkran Day."
3. "制造传统 关于傣族泼水节及其相关新年话语的研究". Open Times. February 2010. Retrieved 17 January 2017.
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5. Dan Beach Bradley et al, American Missionary Association. (1861). "PRINCIPAL HOLIDAYS OBSERVED BY SIAMESE AND OTHERS", Bangkok Calendar: For the year of Our Lord 1861, Coresponding to the Siamese Civil Era 1222-3 and Nearly so to the Chinese Cycle Era 4498, ... Compiled by D.B.B. (Dan Beach Bradley). Bangkok: American Missionary Association. p. 58. "Songkran—Occurs usually a week or two after Siamese New–Year, it being of 3 days continnanee, and much observed." pp. 113, 127, 136. "SONGKRAN—Will occur about April 12th."
   • Gray, John Henry. (1879). "Chapter V.: SIAM", A Journey Round the World in the Years 1875-1876-1877. LONDON: Harrison and Sons. 612 pp. p. 137. "This privilege is exercised by the people during the festivals, which are respectively termed the Chinese new year, the Siamese new year, and Songkran."
   • United States Department of State. (1984). "Touring and Outdoor Activities", Thailand Post Report. Washington, D.C.: The U.S. Government Printing Office. p. 15. "Songkran (mid-April) is Thai New Year's Day. Young girls dressed in Thai national costumes go to the banks of river in colorful processions."
   • Ach Vidyagama (George Bradley McFarland), Phra. (1944). "สงกรานต์", Thai-English Dictionary. California: Stanford University Press. 1,058 pp. p. 802. ISBN 978-080-4-70383-3
6. H.H. Prince Bidyalabh Bridhyakon. (1969). Collected Articles By H.H. Prince Dhani Nivat Kromamun Bidayalabh Brdihyakorn, Honorary President The Siam Society: Reprinted From The Journal of The Siam Society on The Occasion of His Eighty-fourth Birthday. Bangkok: Siam Society. 194 pp. p. 25. "according to this the date of the entry of the sun into Aries (April the 13th) was popularly observed under the name of Songkrant (Sankranti)."
   • Samuel J. Smith. (1871). "Article 75 Summary of News (Weekending Feb. 23rd, 1871.): SIAMESE KRUT", The Siam Repository: A Summary of Asiatic Intelligence, Vol. 3, No. 4. by Samuel J. Smith for the Year of Our Lord 1871. Bangkok: S.J. Smith's Office. p. 225. "At the palace will be publicly announced the precise day of Songkrant, the Siamese astronomical new year day. It is said it will occur this year April 9th."
   • The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). "SONGKRANT FESTIVAL IN THAILAND", Unesco Features: A Fortnightly Press Service, 409(1963). p. 20. "Songkrant is very old and probably came to Thailand from Southern India, Songkrant (the accent is on the second syllable, the 't' is not pronounced) was a mythical character."
   • The Siam Society Under Royal Patronage. "No. IV. The "Toa Songkrant". ตัวสงกรานต์", The Journal of the Siam Society, Vol. 10., 1935. p. 63. "about the time of the Songkrant, that is March and April, for Songkrant in Siam falls on the 13th April."
7. V. S. Bhaskar, Government of Assam, India. (2009). "Festivals: Songkran", Faith & Philosophy of Buddhism. New Delhi, India: Kalpaz Publications. 312 pp. pp. 261-262. ISBN 978-817-8-35722-5. "Songkran is a Thai word which means 'move'..."
   • Taipei City Government, Taiwan (ROC). (2008). Teipei: 2008 Yearbook. . Taipei: Taipei City Government Editorial Group. 386 pp. ISBN 978-986-0-14421-5. p. 269. "(Songkran) is in April, and Thai people celebrate their new year by splashing water at each other, hence the Thai name Songkran, i.e., "Water Splashing Festival."
   • Komlosy, A. (2002). Images Of The Dai : The Aesthetics Of Gender And Identity In Xishuangbanna. . University of St. Andrews Research Repository. 'https://hdl.handle.net/10023/7293'. p. 334. "The term Songkran is a Thai word meaning to move, here it refers to the Sun which moves into the sign of Aries at this time of the year". pp. 334–335. "The Thai term Songkran is now used by many Southeast Asia specialists to refer to the New Year festival held in many countries, including Myanmar, Laos and China."
   • Rooney, Dawn F. (2008). Ancient Sukhothai: Thailand's Cultural Heritage. Bangkok: River Books Press. 247 pp. ISBN 978-974-9-86342-8. p. 36. "'Songkran' is a Thai name that derives from a Sanskrit word meaning 'to move to', a reference to the sun's movements.
   • Anouska Komlosy. "Procession and Water Splashing: Expressions of Locality and Nationality during Dai New Year in Xishuangbanna: Songkran", The Journal of the Royal Anthropological Institute, 10(2). (2004, June). London: Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland. JSTOR #i370994. p. 357. "The term Songkran is a Thai word meaning ' to move ' , and it refers here to the Sun, which moves into the sign of Aries at this time of the year."
   • Sagar, Vidya. (1994). "Mother India, Children Abroad", Research Journal of the Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad, Vol. 7. Delhi: Antar-Rashtriya Sahayog Parishad. Research Class No. 294.592. p. 28. "There are similarities in the festivals too like Songkran (the Thai water festival) and Holi and Loi Krathong (the Thai festival of lights) and Diwali."
   • Prakong Nimmanahaeminda, Academy of Arts, Royal Society of Thailand. "Myth and Ritual : A Study of the Songkran Festival", The Journal of The Royal Society of Thailand, 29(1–2), (2004, January–March). pp. 345–350. "Songkran is a Thai word which means of movement."
   • Malaysia, Jabatan Perpaduan Negara Dan Integrasi Nasional (JPNIN). (1985). Festivals and religious occasions in Malaysia. (First series). Kuala Lumpur: The National Unity Department of Malaysia, Prime Minister's Dept. 36 pp. p. 26. "‘SONGKRAN’ is a Traditional New Year of the Thai people and this day normally fulls in the month of April. 'SONGKRAN' is a Thai word meaning change of exchange."
   • Sir. Philip John Newling Ward, Maj. Gen. (1974). "THE SONGKRAN FESTIVAL", Bangkok: Portrait of a City. Cambridge, United Kingdom: The Oleander Press. 136 pp. p. 111. ISBN 978-090-2-67544-5. "Thai word ' Songkran ' literally means a move or change".
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8. Mattiebelle Gittinger Obituary and Lefferts, Jr. H. Leedom. (1992, Jan 1). Textiles and the Tai Experience in Southeast Asia: Catalog of an exhibition held at the Textile Museum, Washington, D.C., Oct. 2, 1992–Jan. 3, 1993 and at other museums. Washington, D.C.: The George Washington University Museum and The Textile Museum (Washington, D.C.). 264 pp. p. 90 Ref. 23. ISBN 978-087-4-05031-8. "Songkran is the Siamese word for this period."
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   • William Clifton Dodd and Isabella Ruth Eakin Dodd. (1923). The Tai Race, Elder Brother of the Chinese: Results of Experience, Exploration and Research of William Clifton Dodd. Iowa: Torch Press. 353 pp. p. 287. ISBN 978-059-8-77591-7. "Songkran holiday is the old Siamese New Year".
9. Dibrugarh University (Assam state of India), Department of Anthropology. (1995). The Bulletin of the Department of Anthropology, Vol. 23. p. 126. ISSN 0976-2264. "The word Sangkran is a Sanskrit. (sim kranti) in Thai forms the meaning of " the entry of sun into any sign of the Zodaic."
   • Khamchan, M. (2006). องค์ความรู้ประเพณีปี๋ใหม่เมือง . Chiang Mai, Thailand: Lanna Wisdoms School. cited in Manee Phayomyong. (1986). Lanna-Thai Culture. Bangkok: Thai Wattanapanich. p. 251-252. "ศัพท์ว่า สังกรานต์ มาจากภาษาสันสกฤตว่า สังกรานติ ศาสตราจารย์เกียรติคุณ มณี พยอมยงค์ ให้ความหมายของสังกรานติไว้ในหนังสือประเพณีสิบสองเดือนว่า สังกรานติ แปลว่า วันเดือนปีที่ล่วงไป"
   • Jaya Buragohain. "Importance of The Boddhi — Tree in Bhuddhist Monasteries: (with Special Reference to the North-east Region in India and South-east Asian Buddhist Countires.", Proceedings of the Indian History Congress, 63(2002). p. 1103. "There is also a reference of a special rite of pouring water (rod-nam) on to the root of the Boddhi-tree during the celebration to mark the Siamese New Year (sangkran) by the Siamese in Kelantan, Malaysia."
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    • Satya Vrat Varma. (1993). Satya Sudha A Critical Evaluation Of Dr. Satya Vrat Shastri's Creative Works . New Delhi: Eastern Book Linkers. 413 pp. p. 319. "The letter (No.21) written to Dr.Krishna Lal from Bangkok on April 24,1979. carries a graphic account of Songkran (Sankranti) festival celebrated in Thailand in the beginning of the month of Vaisakha."
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29. ^ Kamarupa Anusandhana Samiti. Journal of the Assam Research Society, Vol. 38, 2007. p. 76. ISSN 2349-7459. "Tai New Year’s festival or Water spraying festival commence from the day of sangken or sangkran or sankranti. The day is open on the first full moon of April."
30. Tandart, S. (1910). Dictionnaire Français-Cambodgien Vol. I. Paris: Société des Missions-Etrangèrs de Paris. 2,242 pp. p. 63.
31. Hardiman, J. P.. (1900). Gazetteer of Upper Burma and the Shan States Part I, Vol. II. superintendent, Government printing, Burma. p. 47. "Sangkyan days as the beginning of the year."
32. Bowring, J. (2005). The King of Siam : Sir John Bowring. (Translated by Charnvit Kasetsiri and Kanthika Sriudom of Foundation for the Promotion of Social Science and Humanities). Bangkok: Toyota Thailand Foundation. 463 pp. ISBN 978-974-9-36477-2. p. 6. "...16th year of our reign is in Siamese Astronomical System called in Siam Basu Songkrant tai or in sansckrit Xadasite songkrant i.e. the sun's diameter being largest, ..."
33. Diphadung, S., Usupharatana, P., and Damsa-aad, P. (1977). Encyclopedia of ethnic groups in Thailand: Mon. . Bangkok: Research Institute for Languages and Cultures of Asia, Mahidol University. Mahidol University Repository: 'https://repository.li.mahidol.ac.th/handle/123456789/48615'. p. 22.
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42. ^ Aymonier, É. (De L'école Coloniale). (1904). Le groupe d'Angkor et L'histoire Vol. III : Le Cambodge. Paris: Ernest Leroux. p. 565. "Aujourd’hui, chez les Cambodgiens, l'expression Mahâ Sankrân ne se rapporte plus qu'au petit calendrier officiel qui doit paraître pour la nouvelle année; mais chez les Siamois, rentrée du soleil dans le signe du Bélier, qui marque le commencement de l'année, est encore appelé Sankranta, terme qu’ils prononcent songkran."
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48. Engelbert Kaempfer, John Gaspar Scheuchzer and Sir Hans Sloane. (1727). De Beschryving van Japan. Door ENGELBERT KÆMPFER, M.D. Geneesheer van bet Hollandſche... (Translated by John Gaspar Scheuchzer). Netherlands: Gosse en J. Neaulme. 550 pp. p. 29. "Behalven deze hebben zy fommige jaarlykſche plechtige Feeſtdagen, by voorbeeld een in ’t begin van 't jaar, genaamt Sonkraen, een ander Kitimbac genoemt, ook wel Ktimbac, ..."
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49. Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix. (1850). "Utendum est ส in sequentibus", Grammatica Linguæ Thai, AUCTORE D. J. BAPT. PALLEGOIX EPISCOPO MALLENSI VICARIO APOSTOLICO SIAMENSI. Ex typographià collegii Assumptionis B. M. V. in civitate rcgià Krüng Thèph mahá nàkhon sí Ajùthâja, vulgó. BANGKOK: Anno Domini. p. 7 "สีห ปราช สงกรานต, Sí prãt sôngkran"
50. Jean Baptiste Pallegoix (Bp. of Mallos). (1854). "ส—S", สัพะ พะจะนะ พาสา ไท DICTIONARIUM LINGUÆ THAĭ. SIVE SIAMENSIS, INTERPRETATIONE LATINA, GALLICA ET ANGLICA illustratum MDCCCLIV. PARISIIS: Jussu Umperatoris Impressum. p. 751 "สงกรานต์. SONGKRAN. Ad alium locum pergere; angelus qui praesidere anno. Aller dans un autre endroit; ange qui préside à l'année, To go to another place; angel preside over the year."
51. Jean-Baptiste Pallegoix. (1854). Description du Royaume Thai ou Siam. Lagny, France: Vialat et Cie. p. 249. "Ils ont en outre, durant le cours de l’année, plusieurs jours de fêtes civiles ou religieuses, qu’ils célèbrent avec grande pompe : 1°Songkran; c’est leur nouvel an, qui tombe ordinairement dans leur cinquième mois; on le célèbre pendant trois jours; ce n’est qu’à cette époque que le peuple apprend des astro-logues, si l’ange de l’année monte un tigre, un bœuf,-un ours, un cheval; une chèvre, un dragon ou quelque autre animal."
52. Gray, John Henry. (1879). "Chapter V.: SIAM", A Journey Round the World in the Years 1875-1876-1877. LONDON: Harrison and Sons. 612 pp. p. 137. "This privilege is exercised by the people during the festivals, which are respectively termed the Chinese new year, the Siamese new year, and Songkran."
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