國發會與ICRT共同製播的時事英語廣播“The News with Nora”固定於每周三在雙語資料庫學習資源網更新，與大家一起聽時事學英文。

本周主題：潑水節

潑水節(Songkran)為泰國傳統新年，被視為重要的宗教節日與國定假日，於每年4月13日至15日舉行，恰逢佛教新年的開始。現今泰國政府希望將潑水節列入聯合國教科文組織(UNESCO)的非物質文化遺產名錄，以保護此傳統文化，傳承給未來的世代。想知道更多嗎？讓我們用1分鐘的時間一起來聽聽主播Nora怎麼說吧！

Nora: I’m Nora Yu. This week, on The News with Nora …

Nora: The Songkran Water Festival.

Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year. It’s held annually from April 13th to 15th, and coincides with the start of the Buddhist New Year. Songkran is regarded as an important religious festival, as well as a significant national holiday. Buddhists donate food and clothes to temples. They pour water on images of the Buddha, and on the hands of Buddhist monks, as a sign of respect and purity.

Now the Thai government wants to add the Songkran Water Festival to UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritages, to protect it for future generations. Which is why, all over the country, their festivals this year have been filled with ancient customs and traditions. These include food contests, local folk music and dances, beauty pageants, and of course, their world-famous water fights!