For traditional celebrations of Songkran, the Thais clean their house and burn all the refuse on the eve of Songkran i.e. the12th of April.   It is believed that anything bad belonging to the old year will be unlucky to the owner if left and carried on to the coming new year. Early on the first day of Songkran, the 13th of April, the people both young and old in their new clothing go to the monastery nearby to offer food to the monks. A long table is erected in the monastery compound where  monk's alms bowls stand in a row on either side of the table. Into the almsbowl, the gathering people put boiled rice and  into the covers of the almsbowl, food, fruits and sweetmeats.

               In the afternoon of the same day, there is a bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and also the abbot of the monastery.  This bathing is done as ritualistic ceremony, but it is no other than a New Year' s purification.  After this begins the water throwing feast. Also on this day or the succeeding days, younger people go to pay their respect to and ask blessings from their elders and respected persons.  They pour scented water into the palms of the old people and present them with a towel and other bathing requisites. In Chiang Mai province, it is called Dam Hua ceremony.

               It has been a custom to build sand pagodas as a community effort during Songkran.  This takes place on an open space in the monastery.  People bring along a handful of sand, which they throw upon the ground upon their entry.  The pagoda builders, mostly women and children, come to the monastery in their best clothes with candles, joss  sticks, flower and banners. The merit makers then start building their sand pagodas. The size of the pagoda is optional. The sand is mixed with water  to make it lump together when used to build the pagoda.  A coin and a leaf of the religious fig tree  are buried inside the sand pagoda.  When finished, the pagoda is sprinkled with scented water and decorated with flags and banners.  The base of the pagoda is then covered with a small piece of yellow or red cloth. Lighted candles and joss sticks and flowers are stuck around the sand pagoda as an offering.  In this way, the sand is accumulated and serves to raise the level of the ground which normally is too low during the flood season. As the open ground in the monastery also serves as a meeting place for the community during religious and festive occasions, it is ultimately the public in general who benefit by this religious occasion. Besides, it is believed that when a person leaves the monastery, some earth or sand in the sacred compound sticking to his feet may be taken out of the monastery, thus depriving the monastery of its property. To make reparation for such a possible sinful deed, a good Buddhist brings with him a handful of earth or sand every time he calls at the sacred ground. The building of the sand pagodas is seen as an atonement in a way. Moreover, there is a widespread belief that whoever builds a monastery, casts a Buddha image,  erects a pagoda, makes copies of the scriptures or does anything pertaining to the upholding of the Holy Faith gains great merit. The building of sand pagodas inserted with valuable things such as a coin or sacred things such as a leaf of the sacred fig tree which even people of small means can afford to do has the same merit as the building of real pagodas.