12 APRIL 2014 - BANGKOK, THAILAND: Buddhist layworkers with the Phra Buddha Sihing statue during  the procession's stop in Thonburi. The Phra Buddha Sihing, a revered statue of the Buddha, is carried by truck through the streets of Bangkok so people can make offerings and bathe it in scented oils. Songkran is celebrated in Thailand as the traditional New Year's from 13 to 16 April. The date of the festival was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. The traditional Thai New Year has been a national holiday since 1940, when Thailand moved the first day of the year to January 1. The first day of the holiday period is generally the most devout and many people go to temples to make merit and offer prayers for the new year.    PHOTO BY JACK KURTZ
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