Activities during the ceremony included praying, merit-making, food offerings to Buddhist monks, pouring of water onto the statue of Buddha, monks and also the elders in order to show respect and gratitude as well as to receive their blessings. On this occasion, participants also made merits by presenting robes and donations to monks to mark the beginning of Thai New Year and to pay tribute to their ancestors and loved ones. The Songkran Festival 2019 was joined by people from Thai communities in Vancouver and nearby cities in Western Canada.