StanaCard: Happy New Year!

Today, all of us at StanaCard wish a Happy New Year to Cambodia, Thailand, Laos, and Myanmar. All four countries have kicked off their New Year’s celebrations today, and people from each nationality all around the world have begun to take part in their respective traditions.

The Cambodian New Year, or Chol Chnam Thmey in Khmer, takes place today and will last until the 15th. Traditionally, the first day of the New Year, known as Maha Songkran, is a quiet, religious holiday where family members come together to pay respects to Buddha. On the second day, Virat Wanabat, people volunteer their time to charities and attend a ceremony for their ancestors. On Tngay Leang Saka, the final day of the celebrations, families cleanse their Buddha statues and elders with perfumed water, believing that they will then obtain their good fortune for the future.

Songkran, the Thai New Year’s holiday, is also celebrated over a three day period starting today, April 13. One of the main and undoubtedly most fun traditions of Songkran are the massive water fights that constantly go on in this three day holiday. Thais wander around the streets with buckets and water guns and try to soak each other, while celebrating the start of the New Year the way many of us Westerners ring in the New Year – with parties and drinks.

In Myanmar, the Burmese people celebrate their New Year with a four or five day celebration leading up to the actual day of the New Year called Thingyan. Thingyan is celebrated very similarly to the way Songkran is celebrated in Thailand; with country-wide water fights. Before and after the water festival, the Burmese visit their families and pay religious respects, as well as give back to charity and volunteer their time.

The Laos New Year, also a three-day celebration beginning on the 13th, is the country’s most widely celebrated and most anticipated. This holiday is celebrated all across the world by Laotians. In Laos, people also cleanse their elders, along with monks, and then each other with perfumed water. Sand is made into stupas and then decorated and given to the monks, and animals all over the country are set free. There are also many large beauty pageants where Miss Lao New Year is crowned, the most famous one taking place in Luang Prabang.

For all of you from these Southeastern Asian countries, now is the perfect time to call home. Luckily for you, StanaCard offers a cheap, simple, and reliable way to call abroad. Check out our site now or click here to find out how to get $10 free to make your international calls with!