The Thai New Year is a three day celebration that usually falls between the 10th and 18th of April. This year the New Year, known in Thai as Songkran, will be celebrated from the 13th to the 15th April, so what better time to reflect upon some of the traditions of this centuries-old national celebration.

History
The ancestors of the Thai people originated from the Yunnan Province in China and it is here, nearly one thousand years ago, that the New Year festivities first took place. The dates correspond to the fifth full moon of the lunar calendar and the Songkran festival's original purpose was to welcome in the new farming cycle.

Preparation
In traditional style, the family home and all images of Buddha are cleaned thoroughly the day before the celebrations start. This year, the day for cleaning and preparation will fall on the 12th April. The first day of the celebrations is then taken up with preparing home-cooked food to present as a peace offering at the Temple the next day. Indeed, food plays an important role in the Thai New Year festivities and some delicious traditional recipes can be found below.

Water Rituals
Water plays an important role in the Thai New Year festivities as it symbolises a time for cleansing and rejuvenation- this is in keeping with the fresh start that the new year brings for the harvest.

At home, traditional dress is worn with leis of jasmine flowers, and family members sprinkle jasmine scented water on each others' hands as a cleansing ritual, while uttering words of blessing and good wishes for the coming year.

This tradition of cleansing with water during Songkran has been extended, and now on the third and final day of the celebration huge crowds gather in the streets and on the banks of rivers ready to douse each other with water. In the northern provinces, Thais and tourists alike flock to join in the large water fights held on the banks of the canal that surround the town of Chiang Mai.

String Tying
As well as blessing with water, string tying is a great tradition in Thailand, whereby the young members of a family will tie strings around the wrists of their elders. Sometimes people can end up with an arm-full of strings if they have a large enough family! The strings are left on a person's wrist until they fall off of their own accord. This ritual is carried out in a spirit of "natural renewal", where humans are not to interfere with the process.

Food
During the Songkran festivities, street vendors are out in force selling Thai delicacies of satay sticks, hot and sour soup, sweet pancakes and lots of fruits. As Songkran is a time when many people are outside the home visiting family, the street vendors do a roaring trade. In the home, traditional Thai banquets are served, using mainly fish, rice, vegetables and herbs. Thai cuisine is actually a mixture of many different cuisines, from Indian curry influences, to Chinese stir-fry, but it is characterised by the fact that it is a very communal affair, with all dishes being served at once.

Here are some excellent traditional Thai recipes to celebrate the New Year in style!

Pad Thai (Noodle Dish)

14 large shrimps (peeled, de-veined and cooked)

2 handfuls of thin noodles

3/4 cup of tofu

3 tbsp. dried shrimp

1/4 cup salted radish (minced)

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1/2 tsp. vinegar

1 tbsp. water

2 duck's eggs

1 cup bean sprouts

1 tbsp. sliced red onion

1 tbsp. minced garlic

1 tsp. dried red chilli powder

2 tbsp. roasted peanut (crushed)

1 tsp. sugar

Pad Thai Sauce:

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 tbsp. minced red onion

4 tbsp. minced garlic

1/2 cup palm sugar

1/3 cup good quality fish sauce

1/2 cup concentrated tamarind juice

Cooking Instructions:

1. Heat the pan and add vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, add 3 tbsp. minced red onion and 3 tbsp. minced garlic. Fry until it turns gold. Be careful not to burn the onion and garlic as it will become bitter.

2. Add palm sugar, fish sauce, concentrated tamarind juice. Boil until the mixture becomes thick.

3. Remove from the stove.

4. Head a different pan and add vegetable oil. When the pan is hot, add 1 tbsp. sliced onion and garlic. Fry until it has aromatic smell.

5. Add tofu, salted radish and dried shrimps.

6. Add noodles and water. Mix well and add vinegar.

7. Pour over the Pad Thai sauce prepared in the first pan - pour as much as you like, but not too much as the noodles will be too wet and overcook.

8. Quickly stir the mixture, if you would like the bean sprouts to be cooked, add it in this step, however they can be left raw for a fresh flavour.

9. Serving: arrange the noodles on a plate to serve. Put dried chilli pepper, sugar, the roasted peanuts and any left over fresh bean sprouts.

10. Cooked Shrimps: these can be added on during the cooking or afterwards they can be placed as a pyramid on top of the Pad Thai.

Som Tom Bla Rah (Spicy papaya salad with fish/crab sauce)

5 peppers (red or green)
3 cloves of garlic
1 tomato (sliced)
1 aubergine (sliced)
1 fermented crab
1 handful chopped papaya
4 tbsp. fish sauce (Bla rah)
2 pieces lemon
1 tsp. sugar or palm sugar

1. Pound the peppers and garlic together.

2. Add the tomato, aubergine, and fermented crab.

3. Then, mix it with fish sauce, lemon, and sugar.

4. Use a pestle and mortar to crush and mix all the ingredients together.

5. Add the papaya and mix it in well, so it can absorb the flavours of the other ingredients.

6. Serve with fresh vegetables such as cucumber, cabbage, string beans or bean sprouts.

Tom Yum Soup

1/2 pound medium sized shrimp, peeled and de-veined
18 mushrooms (chestnut or button)
4 cups water
2 stalks of lemon grass (10 in long)
4-6 kaffir lime leaves
3 small red onions cut into quarters
1 medium / large tomato
1 1/2 tablespoons fish sauce
1 1/2 limes, squeezed
1 teaspoon of white sugar
2-8 red and/or green chilli peppers (depending on personal taste)

Coriander (for serving)

Cooking Instructions:

1. Cut the lemongrass stalks into 2in pieces.

2. Stock: Add the shrimp heads and shells to water, then cook for 20 minutes. Turn off heat. Soak heads and shells for 20 more minutes before removing from broth.

3. Add stock, lemon grass, kaffir lime leaves, chilli peppers, fish sauce, lime juice, and sugar to a pot and bring to the boil. After boiling for 5 minutes, add the tomato and onion quarters.

4. In 5 more minutes add the shrimp and mushrooms. Cook another 10 minutes.

5. Garnish wih coriander to serve