Bangkok: Songkran at Wat Chiang Yuen has begun, with water pouring on the Buddha image and the Great Stupa. The Songkran Festival at Wat Chiang Yuen has begun. Merit-making by pouring water on the Phra Sappanyu Chao Det Mueang Buddha statue and wrapping cloth around the Phra Mahathat Chedi is considered the beginning of the Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai.
According to Thai News Agency, at Wat Chiang Yuen on Mani Nopparat Road in Mueang District, Chiang Mai Municipality held a religious ceremony and poured water on the sacred Buddha image of Phra Chao Sappanyu Chao Det Mueang, created by King Mangrai, the first king, and revered by kings and rulers of the city in the past. The robes were paraded around the Great Stupa three times and wrapped around the Great Stupa. Then, people were allowed to pour water on the Great Stupa by pressing a button, which caused water to flow into a container on the back of a metal swan, up a pulley, and onto the Great Stupa. Many people joined the event, marking the beginning of the Songkran tradition in Chiang Mai.
Around the moat of Chiang Mai, the municipality has diverted water into the moat on all four sides and has placed floating buoys in deep water areas for people and tourists to splash water around the moat. This year, the TAT Chiang Mai office predicts that over the five days between 12-16 April, more than 100,000 tourists will visit Chiang Mai, generating 1,000-1,500 million baht.