Songkran is Coming

As you can see from the picture above I have already started stocking up on small arms, heavy ordinance will be acquired soon enough.  A lot of expats can be heard moaning about the upcoming festivities and quite a few have already left town to escape the madness….me, I love it!

Water cannons, powder smeared on your face and smiles everywhere, whats not to love. While Songkran is only supposed to be from the 13th to the 15th; here in Pattaya the official days are the 13th to the 19th with more than a few people getting it started off early on the 12th. If you are like me and you go into the Songkran festival accepting you will be soaking wet for a week then it’s all good, sure, there are always some idiots that love to ruin things by dousing people after dark or aiming for your camera but they are largely far and few between.

  

For those who may not know or have completely forgotten Songkran isn’t just the worlds largest water fight, it happens to be Thai New Year. A time when one cleanses ones spirit and washes away the bad of the previous year. What used to be a simple ceremony of monks dripping scented water on the faithfuls heads and monuments to wash away the bad has turned into all out war and personally this is how I think all wars should be fought. I can’t even imagine the money the Songkran war machine will rake in from brightly colored floral uniforms to all manner of plastic armament…I know I contribute yearly to the arms race. Buddha knows I lose every gun and cannon I buy every year!

  

For me though Songkran is about spending time with friends and family and enjoying the cool water as the temperature begins to rise in Thailand.  Everyone should experience Songkran at least once in their lifetime…if you thought water fights were fun as a kid then you can only imagine how much more fun it can be as an adult.

As with last year I will definitely be giving daily updates with loads of pictures …so, make sure you check in regularly.

If you need a little peek of whats about to happen you can check out the Songkran Photo Gallery for 100′s of past Songkran pics.

Songkran Festival in Thailand

Songkran 2012 Celebrations Around Thailand

Songkran 2012 will be celebrated throughout Thailand and is one of the tourism highlight. 

- Chiang Mai Songkran Festival, Chiang Mai 
- Sukhothai Songkran Festival 
- Bangkok Songkran Splendours Festival 
- Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya Songkran Festival 
- The Great Songkran Day 2012 Suphan Buri Province 
- Phra Padaeng Songkran Festival, Samut Prakan 
- Nakhon Si Thammarat Songkran Festival 
- Songkran on the Beach & Phuket Bike Week 2012 
- Hat Yai Midnight Songkran Festival, Songkhla 
- Chon Buri Songkran Festival 
- Songkran Festival and Dok Khun Siang Khaen Festival on Khao Nieo Road 
- Nakhon Phanom Songkran Festival 
- Nong Khai Songkran Festival

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Songkran Do’s and Don’ts

Do’s
• Do give alms and make merit (or just witness the rituals if you are not a Buddhist)
• Do use waterproof bags to protect your valuables
• Do watch your belongings
• Do use public transportation if you are heading to one of Songkran ‘hotspots’, as traffic will be paralysed
• Do try wishing the locals a happy new year in Thai – “Sawasdee Pee Mai!”
• Do smile and have fun

Don’ts
• Do not douse monks, babies or the elderly
• Do not drive when you have been drinking
• Do not throw water with ice or dirty water
• Do not throw water at motorcyclists, to prevent road accidents

Songkran tips and etiquette

• Do not throw water at moving vehicles, mopeds or cars. Many tragic accidents occur during Songkran as a result of this.
• If people implore you not to give them a good dousing, especially elders, respect their wishes (unless they've stumbled into a water-tossing hotspot like Khao San Road of course, when they're fair game).
• Be sure to drink lots of water in addition to lobbing it - temperatures are at their highest this time of year.
• Ziplocks (sealable plastic bags) are great to put valuables in that can be damaged by water (mobile phone, cameras, watches and the like).

Songkran Highlights: Where to go

During Songkran, many people working or studying in the capital from other areas of Thailand leave, returning home during the extended break to celebrate the festival with their families. As a result, Bangkok is at its quietest, with roads relatively traffic-free and an eerie calm replacing the usual bedlam. That said, there's still a lot happening in Bangkok, with Songkran activities ranging from traditional to over-the-top.

Sacred celebrations are held at Sanam Luang, opposite the Grand Palace. Here on the first day of Songkran the Buddha image 'Buddhasihing' is brought out from the National Museum and escorted along the streets for people to sprinkle water on.

The image is then located there for three days, so people who missed the procession can pay their respects. Other merit-making customs in Bangkok include the building of sand stupas which are then decorated with colourful flags and flowers. These can be seen around key temples in the Rattanokosin area.

A Miss Songkran Beauty contest is held in the Wisutkasat area, accompanied by merit-making, a parade and other fun activities. Food, as is always customary in Thailand, features high on the agenda too with many mouth-watering seasonal treats available in hotels, restaurants, and from food vendors on every street or soi. Look out for special Songkran menus at some hotels and restaurants. Also have a look at our restaurant section for some recommended venues.

Water warfare breaks out sporadically all across the city for Songkran's duration. However, for festivities that verge on the profane, but are undoubtedly lots of fun, head to Khao San Road. On Bangkok's backpacker boulevard Songkran means a Bacchanalian street carnival, the entire strip and surrounding areas turning into a free-fire water war zone.

Participants arm themselves with everything from tiny psychedelic water pistols to sophisticated pump-action water shotguns replete with water-tank backpack - and everything in between that can hold a respectable volume of ice cold H2O. Unwilling targets are advised to steer clear altogether - a severe drenching, despite pleads for mercy, is inescapable!

Making merit is an essential part of Songkran, and visiting nine sacred temples during Songkran considered one of the ultimate accumulators. Try temples in the Rattanokosin area like Wat Pho, Wat Phra Kaeo, Wat Suthat Thepphawararam, Wat Chana Songkhram, Wat Boworn, Wat Benchamabophit, Wat Rakhang Khositaram, Wat Arun and Wat Kanlaya.

Songkran Dates: April 13 - April 15

At which of Thailand's many festivals do locals sprinkle water piously over Buddhist statues, but also hurl it at passersby? During which public holiday do Thais pay respect to parents and elders, make merit, give their homes a spring-clean, and still squeeze in time for partying? That's right, it's time again to celebrate the Songkran Festival. Over three hot, sticky days locals see in the traditional Thai New Year, and the whole country is gripped by body-cooling, spirit-cleansing celebrations.

The hallmark for tourists, of course, has long been the tradition of water throwing. Everything from a courteous sprinkle or polite splash to a well-aimed bucket helps participants articulate the good-natured festival fever. It's a practical and mostly welcome solution to the sweltering dry season heat.

However, there's a much deeper meaning to Songkran beyond getting drenched. Most Thais in fact head home for its duration, to enjoy a break punctuated by religious ceremonies amongst family. For them it's a time to express thanks to those they respect, loyalty to ancestors, an awareness of family and social responsibilities and their religious devotion - as well as get wet.  

A period of transition, it's also a time for new beginnings. Songkran, derived from Sanskrit, means 'a move over' or 'change', marking the time when the sun leaves Pisces and shifts into the Aries zodiac for the beginning of a new solar year.

To mark this 'pi mai' (new year) and get it off to an auspicious start, Thais clean. Everything from Buddha statues in streets to temples and houses gets a renewing wash; meanwhile anything old or unused is thrown out (believed to bring bad luck). They perform bathing rites for monks, and engage in pious activities like giving alms, Dhamma practice and listening to sermons to rinse the spirit clean, to wash away the previous year's bad actions. They sprinkle water on parents and elders, and shower them with gifts. Thais believe that bad luck or evil is washed away by water, the person purified, and the pouring of a small amount of holy water on another person's hand or shoulder, confers respect and goodwill. Elders in return wish the youngsters good luck and prosperity.

Known as the 'Water Festival', it's never long before sacred rituals involving the wet stuff give way to playful ones. Apart from religious rejuvenation, water also symbolises the end of the dry season. Considering temperatures can nudge 40 degrees by day in April, a bucket of ice-cold water over the head does a mighty fine job of keeping everybody cool!

Critics of the incumbent party spirit grumble, some even stay home. Songkran has been diluted by the commercial, they say, become too dominated by revelry that cares little for its meaning. They mean partying epicentres like Khao San Road, where liquid-based festivities - water and alcohol - veer on the Bacchanalian, and an unruly carnival atmosphere takes hold. Headlines splashed across front pages each year report new peaks of nationwide delinquency, with wildly drunk teenagers, motorcycle racing, gambling, water-throwing to insane extremes and, tragically, many fatal road accidents often marring the three days.

Still the charms of the traditional survive. One meretricious Songkran custom involves the releasing of live birds and fish. In Paklat (Phra Pradaeng) near Bangkok, beautiful girls form a procession and carry bowls containing fish to the river where they are released. Naturally, many eligible young men from Bangkok make the short pilgrimage to Paklat every year in search of their eternal sweethearts. On the second day, people carry handfuls of sand to temples, and pile it into small stupas as recompense for the dust they have carried away on their feet in the year past.

Celebrated with similar gusto by their Therevada Buddhist cousins in neighboring Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, Songkran is the biggest, most bizarre and, debatably, the best of Thailand's handful of spectacular religious festivals. A countrywide party, it also makes for a mighty dose of sanook (fun), a fitting byproduct for the fun-loving Thais' most treasured of celebrations.

Bangkok Songkran Festival

Having fun is a big part of Thai culture, and having fun amidst scorching heat is no exception. The hottest month of the year, April sees the entire country go bananas in friendly water fights and street parties that last nearly a week. During Songkran, most office buildings, banks as well as family-run shops and restaurants shut down completely, while big shopping malls usually remain open. Bangkok experiences a mass exodus, as at least half of its residents travel back to their home towns for family re-unions. In their place are tourists, who fly into Bangkok particularly to enjoy one of the most colourful and festive times of the year.

Songkran is the occasion for family re-unions, temple visits and annual house cleaning. Many Thais observe the holidays by spending time with families and friends. Traditionally, Thais perform the Rod Nam Dum Hua ritual on the first day of Songkran, which is officially the National Elderly Day. During the ritual, young people would pour fragrant water into the elders’ palms as a gesture of humility and to ask for their blessings.

The second day of Songkran is officially the National Family Day. Families would wake up early and give alms to the monks, then ideally the rest of the day would be spent sharing quality family time together. An important religious ritual on Songkran is ‘Bathing the Buddha image’, in which devout Buddhists pour fragrant water over Buddha statues both at the temple and at home. More religious Thais would engage themselves in Buddhist ceremonies and merit-making activities throughout the holidays.

Contradictory to what you may have witnessed throughout Songkran, fun-loving Thais don’t just throw water at each other for no good reason (besides having a kick out of seeing other people soaking wet). The real meaning behind the splashes is to symbolically wash off all misfortunes in the past year, thus welcoming the new year with a fresh new start.
Traditionally, Thais would politely pour a bowl of water on members of the family, their close friends and neighbours. As Songkran has taken a more festive note, a bowl becomes a bucket, garden hose and water guns, and the spirit of holiday merriment is shared amongst all town residents and tourists alike.

Actually, a more appropriate question to ask is: ‘how to avoid getting wet during Songkran’. No matter where you go, chances are you will get wet. But if you like the idea of getting soaked from head to toe, and some wild party scene, be sure to drop by Kao San Road or Silom. Be warned, though, to arm yourself with a real powerful water gun and clean bottled water (for washing off talcum powder smudges on your face).

If you prefer a more traditional Songkran, head over to Phra Pradaeng district where the Thai-Raman communities live out their Songkran traditions. Here, the celebrations take place about a week later than in central Bangkok and is filled with cultural significance. You will not only get splashed here, but also enjoy an array of cultural activities, such as the Thai-Ramn flag ceremony, ‘saba’ game, Raman dances, boat races, floral floats parade, and many more.