People across Laos on April 14 organised activities to celebrate the traditional New Year festival, also known as Bunpimay or Bun Hout Nam (water splashing festival) according to the Buddhist calendar.

Splashing water on others symbolises the cleansing of all bad things, including diseases and the welcome of a thriving and healthy New Year. The wetter a person becomes, the more luck and happiness they will receive.

People in Thailand are joyfully celebrating Songkran – the traditional New Year festival of the country.

Thailand has decided to extend the waiver on visa-on-arrival fee for citizens of particular nations in order to attract more foreign tourists during the traditional lunar New Year of some Asian countries which falls on February 5.

A ceremony was held in Na Sang 1 village, Dien Bien district, the northern mountainous province of Dien Bien on April 13 to grant the certificate of “national intangible cultural heritage” to the water splashing festival of the Lao ethnic minority group.