Thailand’s annual Songkran water festival kicks off with a splash in Bangkok

Thai locals and foreign tourists were splashed and sprayed with water in the streets of Bangkok on Friday for the annual Songkran festival, a celebration to ring in the Thai New Year. From water guns to balloons to buckets, attendees use whatever is available at their disposal to soak friends, family members and random passersby. A symbol of purification and a new beginning, it also marks the beginning of Thailand’s rainy spring season.