Centara Pattaya Hotel celebrated 6th anniversary and Thai New Year 2017

Pattaya, Thailand – Centara Pattaya Hotel marked its sixth anniversary with the celebration of the Thai traditional “Songkran” New Year. The activity featured symbolic Buddhist traditions including a merit-making ceremony and offering of alms to the monks. To bid the old year adieu, staff members also received blessings from the monks and paid respectful tribute to their elders with the act of pouring scented water through the palms of senior staff and management executives.

Jonas SjÖstedt, General Manager of Centara Pattaya Hotel who presided over the Buddhist ceremony said: “Staying true to the Thai origin of Centara brand, we are honoured to mark these double-bill occasions, which are significant events of the hotel, with auspicious Thai celebrations. Apart from hosting a Buddhist ceremony to commemorate the traditional Thai New Year or Songkran, we also marked the sixth anniversary of Centara Pattaya Hotel, where we offered alms and food to nine monks. It’s a great opportunity for all the staff members to boost morale and show respect to the elder colleagues – a value in the Thai culture representing courtesy and harmony in a hierarchal society.”

In addition to the sixth anniversary of Centara Pattaya Hotel, its sister hotel – Centara Nova Hotel & Spa Pattaya, located on the same road and managed by the same General Manager and team of operations staff, also celebrates its sixth anniversary in the same month.

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year, held on April 13th of every year. The festival to celebrate the Thai New Year is typically filled with fun celebrations known as the “Water Festival”. Water symbolizes cleansing, refreshment of the spirit and all good things associated with life. It is believed to flow and wash away all unfortunate luck from the passing year. Therefore, the Thai New Year is an ideal time for people to clean houses, villages, temples and spirit houses. Songkran is synonymous with the act of gently pouring water on the hands of elders, family members and friends. While this version of water cleansing is still practiced today, it has also transformed into full-scale water battles, where everybody participates in a fair game of water toss using buckets, water pistols, or hoses.