Songkran Water Festival @ Hatyai 2010

For the first time in my life, I came to Thailand to celebrate their New Year which is known as Songkran Water Festival which falls on 13th – 15th of April. It is now one of the most happening festival in Thailand during that period for the year.As I understand Songkran is something similar like Chinese New Year that it was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends and neighbors. People celebrating Songkran may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thai: ????????) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city’s important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually ‘bathing’ the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags.

Some people make New Year resolutions – to refrain from bad behavior, or to do good things. Songkran is a time for cleaning and renewal. Besides washing household Buddha images, many Thais also take this opportunity to give their home a thorough cleaning.

People in a tuk tuk getting soaked during Songkran in Chiang Mai

The use of chalk (Thai: ????????) is also very common having originated in the chalk used by monks to mark blessings.

The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this “blessed” water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles. (abstract from wikipedia)

The usual fight that we will equip ourself during this festival which is no stranger to our childhood memories are widely used ‘Water Gun’, besides this, you can use a pail, or any item that can store water to splash it on people/ passer-by.

Lets head back to my story, continue of my previous post that during the eve for the night. After had walk around and nothing much to shop, then we decided to join the party as our newly bought water guy had pass it to Karen and the rest, Kenji and Me went back to the hotel to gear ourself up!

This is our special op officer, Komando Kenji… warming up . . . . on the way back to our location, we were like half drench in water, as most people are at the road side with water and splashing every vehicle and human that pass them~

Can you imagine that kids were trained as young as 3 years old, he will be proffesional in a few years time~

At the scene with all gear up and wet. . . Before walking

When you on operation and Action…Kenji is under arrest for violating the place.

This kid is our newly recruited member for the night, to go againts one group of people that keep aiming at us as that group is quite big! Quite a cute kid~

the process of attacking back~

After whole night water fighting and only we realise that, that group were attacking us all night long also Malaysians.

After used too much energy and hand pumping on the guy, we were exhausted they have food hut around the area to fill in your stomach. Pretty interesting street food~

After the meal, we walked around the streets and saw this, 3 girls sitting on top and just pay 20bhat to get 5 balls, used it to aim and hit the poll to throw them into the water and my goowddd! the girl on the very left, she is head banging all the way non stop for like more than 15 minutes before we walk off and and she still continue. We were like, if it were us, were wont last more than 3 minutes and felt that our head will come out.

Then we walked to another end of the street and there is another stage there. One thing that we were impress is that every junction of the street there is the stage, therefore it covers the rectangular shape of the street that makes if 4 stages.

One of a famous Thailand group that when they came out, every one was screaming for them as for us we don know who is that also.