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                      | Songkran, 
                        the traditional Thai New Year, is celebrated all over 
                        the country but nowhere with more enthusiasm than in Chiang 
                        Mai. Part of the celebration is religious, marked by merit-making 
                        ceremonies at local temples, and part is pure pleasure, 
                        with good-natured water throwing parades and beauty contests. | 
                     
                     
                       
                          
                          
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