Monday, April 14, 2014

Songkran- Thai New Year

I made it back to Chiang Rai just in time to take part of my first Songkran Festival….

The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water upon others. Thais roam the streets with containers of water or water guns. In addition, many Thais will have small bowls of beige colored talc sold cheaply and mixed with water which is then smeared on the faces and bodies of random passersby as a blessing for the new year. Sometimes this talc is mixed with menthol. It is very common to have groups of Thais post themselves at the side of roads or corners of intersections with garden hoses or large new plastic trash cans filled with water (typically ice cold) that is used to drench sidewalkers and random vehicles (taxis, cars, motorcycles, tuk tuks) that come within watering range. Songkran is traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbors, and monks. The songkran festival is counted as a new life festivity in which many around the world take part in, but mostly focused in the country of Thailand.
Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran as a Buddhist festival may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thaiน้ำอบไทย) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such asChiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags.
Some people make New Year resolutions - to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.

What a fun day we had. This is the one time I allowed my self to get soaking wet while being fully clothed. For those who really know me, this is a very big deal. By the time I came in around 4:00 pm, I was soaked from head to toe. The entire family out here took part in the fun along with some friends of Maurethai. We started around 11:30 and there are still many of them outside on the street throwing water at truckloads of people and each other. It is now 4:44 pm. Today we did not worry about our water bill because the water has been running non-stop for several hours now. After spending the entire day outside in the sun, I am sure we will all sleep well tonight. Enjoy the photos.







2 comments:

  1. Thanks for keeping me posted, Heather. Interesting and happy information about Buddhism. Good wishes on your next endeavors.Nancy Kenry

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  2. Looks like big fun! Wish I was there with my super-soakers!!

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