Phra Pradaeng Songkran Festival

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Schedule : 19-21 April 2002

Venue : Amphoe Phra Pradaeng, Samut Prakan

Origin :
Phra Pradaeng Songkran Festival was originally called "Songkran Pak Lat" and is an ancient tradition of Thais of Mon ancestry.
The people of the district organize this event to preserve and continue this tradition.

Activities :
- Processions of Miss Songkran and floral floats.
- Procession of beautiful ladies dressed in Mon costumes and holding fish jars and birdcages. One group of ladies leads the procession while flanked by men in sarongs and collarless shirts, with a cloth draped around the neck in the Mon style.
- Saba folk play of Lao Mon people and processions of bird and fish.
- Annual pageants of Miss Songkran and Mr. Songkran.

Nearby Tourist Spots :
- Bang Pu Resort (Bang Phli)
	is a famous resort with beautiful flowers, a restaurant and accommodation.
- Wat Bang Phli Yai (Bang Phli)
	houses Luang Pho To Buddha image, a sacred image that locals take in a boat procession to join in the Rap Bua Festival.
- Ancient City (Muang)
	is the world's largest outdoor museum, situated on an area of over 1.28 million square meters. It has a fine collection of miniature historical sites.
- Samut Prakan Crocodile Farm and Zoo (Muang)
	is the largest crocodile farm in the world. There is crocodile breeding, demonstrations on how to catch crocodiles with bare hands and shows of smart elephants and animals.
- Phra Samut Chedi (Phra Samut Chedi)
	is a pagoda on the bank of the Chao Phraya River. The pagoda houses the ashes of the monks Phra Chaiyawat and Phra Ham Samut. Every year on the 5th crescent-moon night in October there is a ceremony to drape the pagoda in a red cloth.

For more information, contact :
- Phra Pradaeng Municipality.
	Tel. (02) 4634841 ext. 129-130, 4625028, 4635552, 4635555, fax (02) 4635554
- TAT Central Region Office: Area 3 (Chon Buri).
	Tel. (038) 427667, 428750, fax (038) 429113