ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

South and Southeast Asian solar New Year

Hey there kiddo! So, you know how we measure time with years, right? And we have different types of years in different parts of the world. Well, in some countries in South and Southeast Asia, they celebrate the start of the new year with something called the solar new year.

Now, the solar new year is based on when the sun moves from one astrological sign to another. Astrological sign is a fancy way of saying the position of the sun and planets in the sky. And this usually happens around April 13th or 14th every year.

Different countries in this region have their own way of celebrating this new year. For example, in Thailand, they celebrate something called Songkran, which is a water festival where people spray water at each other as a symbol of washing away bad luck from the past year. In Sri Lanka, they celebrate the new year with traditional games and feasts.

Overall, it's just like how we celebrate New Year's Day on January 1st, just with different customs and traditions in different parts of the world.