Thailand Travel Notes: New Year Edition

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. October 14, 2008

APRIL 13, 2007. Thailand's Songkran New Year begins in April, one of the most festive months for the Thai people. The Songkran celebration is the central event in Thailand and the peak season for family hometown visits - think of it as Thailand's Thanksgiving. For tourists who love Thailand's festivals, there is no better time, since there are colorful and festive events in every corner of the country during the month.

The date of Thailand's Sonkran was originally set by astrological calculation, but it is now fixed. Each year, from April 13th the 15th, people go to a nearby Thai Wat (temple) to pray and give food to monks. Visitors also clean home and temple Buddha images with water and Thai perfume as it is believed that this practice will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year.

No matter what part of the country you are visiting, expect delightful parades as well as the holiday's famous water-throwing. The holiday's water ceremony began as just a pouring of a small amount of water on a visitor's hands as a sign of respect and purification. Today, that quiet ceremony has been modernized and is a lot more fun as locals and tourists toss water and splash each other on every street corner - so wear your quick-dry clothes if you are coming for New Year's this month!

Sawatdi Pi Mai - Happy Thai New Year.

HOW TO CELEBRATE SONGKRAN DAY

Songkran Day has been celebrated as New Year's Day in the Thai solar calendar since ancient times. The date coincides with the day the sun leaves Pisces and enters Aries usually falling on April 13 of each year. Songkran is celebrated over a 3-day period. The underlying significance is the cleansing or purging of all ills, misfortune and evil - starting the New Year afresh with all that is good and pure.

Each day has its own meaning and activities:

April 13 - Wan Songkran Lhong. This marks the actual end of the old year. Various activities - such as merit making rituals, Buddha images cleaning and bathing - are undertaken to "send off" the outgoing year.

April 14 - Wan Nao or Wan Da. This marks midway between the Pisces and Aries. It is the day of preparation as family members gather to help prepare offerings to the monks for the next morning.

April 15 - Wan Phya Wan. This marks the official start of the Thai New Year. It is a day for merit making, sprinkling holy water on Buddha images and monks, and calling on elders to receive their blessings. Songkran is rich in Thai cultural values, beliefs and codes of conduct. It is also a time for laughter, entertainment, ceremonies, merit making, friends and families.

CELEBRATING IN THE CITY OF ANGELS

Bangkok, Thailand's capital city, is one of the liveliest and historically rich places to enjoy Songkran. At the southern section of Sanam Luang (the Royal Ground) near the Temple of the Emerald Buddha, Songkran celebrations of the nation's four regions and the Grand Songkran Light and Sound presentation are featured from April 9th through the 15th. Activities will include cultural and traditional performances; traditional ceremonies and presentations of the ways of life in the four regions of Thailand; and local food and dessert making demonstrations.

Other Bangkok highlights are the Procession of Phra Buddha Sihing Buddha Image, the Songkran Procession, and the Khao San Road Songkran Festival. Also, the right way to start the New Year would be attending the making-merit ceremonies held at all nine royal temples in Bangkok as an auspicious gesture.

CLEBRATING IN CENTRAL PLAIN STYLE

Ayutthaya, the former capital is an hour's drive north of Bangkok. It is justly famous for its world-class cultural sights and sounds. The UNESCO World Heritage site of Ayutthaya Historical Park is the site for the region's principal Songkran festival. Visitors are invited to join local residents in traditional Songkran merit-making activities for the New Year blessing and to experience such Thai customs such as the release of birds and fish and paying homage to the elderly. Visitors can also join the elephants and mahouts for some Songkran water-splashing fun.

At Phra Pradaeng district of Samut Prakan province, suburb closer to Bangkok, visitors can experience another style of Songkran, the "Thai-Raman". The Raman ethnic community residing mostly in Phra Pradaeng will celebrate with highlights in a famous Raman game called "Saba". Come and see the fun of pitching and tossing game played with beans. During the game, young Raman girls and boys engage in a lively traditional dialogue, accompanied by classic song and dance routines.

THAI NEW YEAR IN THE NORTH

Songkran festival in the Northern capital of Chiang Mai adds a touch from the ancient Lanna kingdom, set in the region's beautiful landscapes. Highlights are the Phra Buddha Sihing procession, a Buddha image bathing ritual, the "Rod Nam Dum Hua" bathing ritual for the elders, sand stupa building contests, Lanna Thai cultural performances and folk games. Celebrations are easiest to find at temples and at the city gates around the ancient moat that still defines the older sections of the city of Chiang Mai.

Another perfect choice in the North is at Sukhothai, where New Year events are held at this UNESCO World Heritage site of Si Satchanalai Historical Park. Visitor can experience a journey back in time at the park as local residents dress up in traditional Thai costumes to celebrate the New Year. Sukothai highlights include a floral carts procession, a Miss Songkran beauty contest, more sand stupa building, and water splashing to beat the heat.

I-SAN WAYS OF SONGKRAN

For something completely different this year, why not celebrate Songkran in I-San in the Northeast of Thailand which take on a distinctly Laotian flavor. The nation of the Lao PDR is visible from Thailand's I-San on the opposite bank of the Mekhong River, and the New Year's rituals, cultural performances, folk games and cuisines typically reflect the customs of both nations. Highlights include fiercely competitive boat races and the "Bai Sri Soo Kwan" - a ritual ceremony to bring good luck and ward off evil.

During the Lao Songkran festival at Nakhon Phanom in the I-San region, Buddhist bathing rituals are performed and scented lustral water is sprinkled over sacred sites such as the 2,000- year-old Phra That Phanom stupa - the most sacred and ancient monument of the Northeast and the landmark of Nakhon Phanom. Do not miss the tying of a sacred string around the 2,000-year-old stupa situated in the middle of the Mekong River.

SONGKRAN IN THE PARADISE SOUTHERN LAND

The tropical paradise of Phuket offers a cosmopolitan flavor to Songkran - for example, the Water Festival on the Beach and Phuket Bike Week 2007. Gear up for some festive fun at Soi Bangla Midnight Songkran as well as at the newly-opened Jungceylon center, billed as the "international shopping and leisure destination", overlooking Patong Beach. Additionally, a "Big Bike" procession, consisting of some 2,000 big bike enthusiasts from Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia and others, add to the colorful beach-side Thai New Year celebrations.

For a more religious and traditional touch, try the Songkran Festival in Nakhon Si Thammarat. Nakhon Si Thammarat has been a centre for Buddhism and culture in Southern Thailand since ancient times and the present-day Songkran Festival still echo those long-standing practices. Highlights of the ceremonies are the merit making events, bath ritual of the Phra Buddha Sihing Buddha Image, a demonstration of the "swing ceremony," and the many well-attended cultural and folk performances.