Celebrations / Songkran
Songkran,
the Thai New Year celebrated from April 13 to April 16, is the
most important, the best known and the gayest of Thailand's festivals.
To the Thai people, this festival is one of water throwing
and although it has religious significance, it usually turns into
great fun. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest
season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing.
Songkran
in Chiang Mai
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Songkran is
not only observed in Thailand but also in Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
The word Songkran
is from the Sanskrit, meaning the beginning of a new solar
year. The Thai calendar used to switch to a new year on April
13 but the date was changed to January 1 to bring the country
in line with the rest of the world.
In some ways,
Songkran resembles the Christian Easter with it's feasts
and processions of people wearing new clothes. Young and old dress
in new attire and visit their Wat where food is offered
to the monks. Music is often played on the streets as well
as at the Wats.
On the eve
of Songkran, housewives give their homes a thorough cleaning.
Worn-out clothing or household effects and rubbish are burned
- it is a spring cleaning day, supported by the religious
belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it
will bring bad luck to the owner.
During the
afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part
of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands
of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing
of the older people. In ancient days, old people were actually
given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young
folks as a sign of respect.
Another unique
Songkran custom is the releasing of caged birds and live
fish, caught throughout the country and sold / purchased in
the markets for this occasion. It is believed that great merit
is gained through this kind act. In Paklat (Phra Pradaeng)
south of Bangkok, girls in gay dresses form a procession and carry
fish bowls to the rivers where the fish are released.
The custom
to set free some fish goes back to the days when the central plains
of Thailand were flooded during the rainy season. After
the water subsided, pools were left and as the pools gradually
dried up, baby fish were trapped. Farmers in those days caught
small fish and kept them at home until Songkran Day when they
released them into the canals, thereby gaining merit as well as
preserving one of the main items of their diet.
The whole
country celebrates Songkran but the festivities are nowhere as
exalted as in Chiang Mai.
If a visitor
happens to be in a village, out on a country road or up in Chiang
Mai, he can well expect a drenching. All people, particularly
the younger ones, throw water on one another during the 3-day
holiday.
In Chiang
Mai, there are processions of groups of women and girls,
and bands play at many places. A Queen of the Water Festival
is chosen amidst much noise and gaiety. The Ping River,
which runs through the city, is crowded with people wading in
the water and scooping it up with pans and buckets. The visitor
who wants to be in Chiang Mai for the event must plan his/her
trip well in advance as hotels are usually fully booked.
Different
parts of the kingdom have their own unique games, songs
and dances to celebrate Songkran. Farmers in many parts
of the country have ample time for the celebration as they cannot
do much work in the fields until the rain comes.
According
to an old belief Nagas (mythical serpents) brought rain
by spouting water from the seas. The more they spouted, the more
rain there would be. So, the Songkran custom of throwing water
can be interpreted as an attempt in rain-making.
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This doesn't mean that I would have turned against yohimbine
and dopaminergics.
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http://www.asiatour.com/thailand/e-02trav/et-tr100.htm
Jan Garanoz
869/116 Thanon Pemavipat,
Chiang Rai, 57000 Thailand
Created: September 1, 1995
Last updated: September 14, 2009