Kiritimati Kiritimati Kiritimati, or Christmas Island, is a Pacific Ocean raised coral atoll in the northern Line Islands. It is part of the Republic of Kiribati. The name "Kiritimati" is a respelling of the English word "Christmas" in the Kiribati language, in which the combination "ti" is pronounced "s", and the name is thus pronounced . The island has the greatest land area of any coral atoll in the world, about ; its lagoon is roughly the same size. The atoll is about in perimeter, while the lagoon shoreline extends for over . Kiritimati comprises over 70% of the total land
Lao New Year Lao New Year Lao New Year, called Pi Mai (, ) or less commonly Songkran (, ), is celebrated every year from April 13/14 to April 15/16. Lao New Year is a popular English name for a traditional celebration known in Laos as "Pi Mai" or "Songkran" (in Lao language). Lao New Year widely celebrated festival in Laos. The festival is also celebrated by the Lao in the United States of America, Canada, France, England and Australia. Lao New Year takes place in April, the hottest time of the year in Laos, which is also the start of the monsoon