Lao New Year is usually a three-day public holiday in Lao. In Lao, it is called ‘Songkran’ or ‘Pii Mai’, which means ‘new year’. 

It is based on the traditional solar new year, that was observed in parts of India and Asia. It falls on either April 13th or April 14th. 

The Lao new year is marked by the sun entering the sign of Aries the Ram. This particular event was traditionally closely related to the Vernal Equinox. In ancient times, the dates of the sun entering Aries and the Vernal Equinox would have been even closer, but they have shifted due to an effect called procession, where the Earth wobbles on its axis over a 25,000 year period.