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As featured in the book Great
Festival of the World
Where's the party?
Songkran, the Thervada Buddhist New Year celebration
is held in cities, towns and villages all over Northern Thailand,
Laos, Burma and even South West China. However, arguably the
largest and most exuberant celebration is held in the old
Capital of the Lanna Kingdom, Chiang Mai in the North
of Thailand.
Dates for the diary
Songkran happens in mid-April, usually between the 12 and
15 April, but expect the water fights to start a couple of
days earlier.
What's it all about?
Although for most visitors, Songkran is just a big water
fight, there are a number of private and public events
that devout Buddhists will adhere to.
The festival officially happens over four days. On the first
day, Wan Sangkhan Lohng, houses are cleaned and there
is a procession of Buddha images and floats - all of which
get drenched by the spectators.
The second day, Wan Nao, is when special food is cooked
and people collect sand from the rivers to make sand chedis
(Buddhist towers) in the temple courtyards.
The third day, Wan Payawan, is the first day of the
new year and when the water fights traditionally started.
People get up early to offer the food cooked the previous
day and new robes to the monks.
On the last day of the festival, Wan Park Bpee, people
are supposed to visit and pay respect to ancestors and the
elderly, in part by pouring scented water over their hands.
The water fights generally last for a whole week, from a
few days before the start of Songkran until a few days afterwards.
Be prepared
Visitors from most countries can stay in Thailand for 30
days without a visa, but you should contact the Embassy or
Consulate in your home country for information before you
leave.
During Songkran transport can get very booked up as everyone
heads back to their families for the holiday period. Book
well in advance if you want to fly or take the train.
Many shops and business close for Songkran, and it can be
a frustrating time if you are trying to get anything done
- from a massage course to cashing travellers cheques.
Getting there
It is possible to fly directly to Chiang Mai from certain
Southeast Asian cities - including Kunming in China.
However, most people arrive in Thailand via the capital, Bangkok.
From Bangkok, there is a comprehensive schedule of domestic
flights to Chiang Mai which take around an hour, or you can
take a night train or one of the many night busses that ply
the route. The night train has sleepers, but gets booked out
very quickly. There are public buses, but most travellers
end up on one of the Khao San Road specials - a cheap,
no-frills service that will get you to Chiang Mai after an
uncomfortable night for a few dollars. One problem with this
is that some of the busses stop at a car park outside of Chiang
Mai where you can get hassled to book into a certain guesthouse
and then take a hilltribe trek with them. Use your discretion.
Where to stay
Accommodation is not normally a problem, as the
city is well supplied with guesthouses and this is the low
season for tourists. It is worth arriving a couple of days
early though, as the more popular places can fill up, and
the last thing that you want to do is have your backpack completely
soaked as you plod the streets looking for a bed.
Once you're there
Songkran can sometimes get out of hand, with too much drinking
and a number of accidents caused by over-exuberant behaviour.
The 2001 Songkran in Thailand reputedly saw some 300 deaths,
but as long as you avoid riding in a vehicle with drunk drivers
or riding a moped during Songkran then you should be relatively
safe.
If you are in Chiang Mai, you won¹t be able to avoid
Songkran, so it is best to go with it and get 'tooled-up'
as soon as possible. You should take care not to let any of
the water get into your mouth as much of it comes from the
moat round the old town. One glance at that should convince
you, quite literally, to keep your mouth shut. The waterfights
are supposed to end at night, and so spraying people as they
walk round in their evening best clothes won't win you many
friends.
Thailand is a predominantly Buddhist country and people tend
to be generally relaxed and laid back. However, this does
mean that if you unwittingly cause any offence, they are unlikely
to point this out to you, they will just be offended.
To avoid this you should follow the following simple rule:
Always show respect to any monks, Buddhist images and the
Thai Royal Family. The King is very popular and respected
in Thailand. Never make any disparaging comments about him
and always stand if you hear the Thai national anthem.
Never point your feet at any Buddha images, or pose for photographs
in front of them. Women should never touch monks or pass anything
directly to them.
Thais believe that the head is sacred and the feet are unclean.
Never touch anyone on their heads (not even children) and
never point at anything with your feet.
On the subject of monks, it is worth pointing out that being
a monk is not necessarily a lifetimes devotion. Most Thai
men will be a monk (or rather a novice) for at least some
time in their lives and some criminals have even been sentenced
to a period in a wat (temple) for an attempt at rehabilitation.
Whilst you should still show them respect, women especially
should be aware that there have been isolated incidents of
such novices attacking lone females and should take normal
precautions.
Local attractions
Chiang Mai is the second city in Thailand but is far more
relaxed than Bangkok. There are a number of things to see,
including Wat Doi Suthep, a wat, or temple, on the
top of a hill outside of town.
Many companies run tours and treks to see nearby hilltribe
villages, but you might find it better to wait until you are
in Chiang Rai further north to organise something.
There are a number of courses that you can do in Chiang Mai,
including Thai massage and Thai Cookery. These
range from half a day to a number of weeks.
Similar events
Songkran is celebrated in towns and villages all over South
East Asia, including Bangkok and Burma, Laos and even as far
as South West China. The smaller the village, the more traditional
the festival will be. The one thing that will characterise
all of these festival though is exuberance and a terrific
water fight.
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