Happy New Year!
They have just celebrated the new year here in Thailand - by the Buddhist calendar it is now 2558.
It is the most important festival of the year for the Thais. Although the official New Year’s Day is the first of January, same as everywhere else, the Buddhist new year is 13 April.
No, I can’t make sense of that either.
copyright Colin Falconer
It’s called the Songkran festival. It’s the longest national holiday of the year and everyone here loves it.
Songkran comes from the Sanskrit word ‘Sankranti’ which means ‘to move on or to change’. The festival originated in Burma, and is also observed in Vietnam and Laos.
But Thailand has elevated Songkran into a soaking wet art form.
Prior to the festival, Thais busy themselves cleaning their houses and taking out all the junk they’ve collected that could bring them bad luck in the upcoming year. They also carefully wash all their Buddha images and idols for luck.
copyright Colin Falconer
The water pouring is meant to symbolize the washing away of sins and bad luck, and should have fragrant herbs added if celebrated in the traditional manner.
Sonkran is a time to give alms to monks and to visit temples.
But mostly it’s a time to grab a bucket of water and tip it on some passer-by’s head or shoot your water gun at a tuk-tuk driver.
The young westerners love it; they roam the streets in gangs soaking down anything that moves. This year Chiang Mai was party central, backpackers prowling the streets in full combat gear - shorts and goggles.
It was Blackhawk Down with super soakers.
All good clean fun, really clean. Well, sort of.
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- copyright Colin Falconer
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- copyright Colin Falconer
Last year two Thai transexuals were arrested for revealing their fake breasts in public. They were fined 500 baht and taken to a local shrine to seek forgiveness from the spirits.
Boys will be boys. Or girls. Whatever.
copyright Colin Falconer
As Songkran is celebrated during the hottest time of the year in Thailand, getting soaked is no hardship, but you have to make sure your phone and camera are in a watertight bag before you leave your hotel.
But not everyone is happy about it: Prommin Kantiya, the director of the Accident Prevention Network, for example. “Do we want to be known as the hub of the water party with booze and a high death toll?’ he told news reporters, “or do we want to be known for having a beautiful culture that no one else has?”
He has a point about the high death toll.
Thailand already has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world - about ten thousand people per year die in motorcycle accidents alone.
Police statistics here show that road accidents double during the annual Songkran holiday from 27 per day during non-holiday periods to an average of 52 road deaths per day.
copyright Colin Falconer
So I decided to stay away from taxis and tuk-tuks for Sonkran. I walked everywhere.
The first night I headed off to a club and the Thai concierge offered to come with me. I politely declined.
As I was walking down the street a Thai bar girl said she’d go there with me. I said thanks, but no thanks.
Then as I passed my favourite restaurant, the owner said, why don’t I come with you? I said no, really, I’ll be fine.
But when I got there, the doorman said: ‘Sorry sir, you can’t come in without a Thai.’
And that’s your Songkran joke. You have to admit, it’s pretty wet.
Happy 2558!
JUST 2 DAYS TO GO …
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I read your Isabella book and loved it!!!
Thank you, Carol! I loved it, too. Not everyone did, because I did something a little different, but I thought it worked and so did a lot of other readers. Thanks for the feedback!