Hello Dtube and Steemit friends,
………. at the mention of 'Songkran’, many of you will think of the amazing water fights that break out all across Thailand in the middle of April each year, and they’ll be right. But, to think of Songkran only in terms of those famous water fights is like thinking of Christmas only in terms of Santa Clause and the gifts that he hopefully brings.
You see, as an agricultural society, Thailand’s official calendar was historically governed by the changing of seasons, and what we know today as Songkran (April 13 – 15) was until 1940, also the official New Year in Thailand. However, when for the sake of international convenience the official New Year moved to January 1st, Songkran was maintained as a National Holiday in Thailand and many Thais still refer to it as New Year.
The Songkran Festival actually marks the transition of seasons, from Dry Season to Rainy Season, and from that transition comes today’s relevance to water. As Songkran arrived, farmers would take the remainder of their precious water reserves to their local temples and ’make merit’ by cleansing the images of Buddha. In return for this offering to Buddha, the farmers would hope to receive good rains throughout the coming wet season and reap their reward with an abundant harvest.
Today, if you visit the temple at Songkran, you will do just as the farmers have done for generations, but the water you use to cleanse the images of Buddha and the hands of the monks will most likely be taken from the faucet rather than the irrigation pond for your local paddy.
Outside of the temples, Songkran has become a three-day party, a party that involves soaking all and sundry with water and gently smearing their faces with a white menthol powder. The water is said to wash away the sins and misfortunes of the previous year and the white powder will ward away any malevolent spirits. Of course, drinking, dancing and general frivolities may also feature strongly in the celebrations of today.
The video I’ve made here begins in my local temple, Wat Lak Si, which forms the heart of a residential suburb in Northern Bangkok. From the temple, Mrs. PoorCirculation and I ride our scooter in a one-mile-square around the district of Lak Si. This is not a tourist area, and I don’t know of any other westerners who live here, so what you see is the way that normal Bangkokians; Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus, Christians and Atheists, come together to celebrate in their own unique way.
The celebrations here are very different from those you’d experience in the Silom or Kaosan Road areas of Bangkok, or in cities like Pattaya or Chiang Mai, but for me, that makes it special. Of course, just as in the tourist areas there’s an abundance of drinking and partying long into the night, but somehow the celebrations here have managed to maintain much more of the traditional spirituality of Songkran. To return to my earlier analogy, the good people of Lak Si certainly enjoy the gifts that Santa Clause brings, yet, they remain conscious of why he’s bringing them.
I hope you enjoy the video and if you’re ever passing through Thailand in April, grab yourself a flowery shirt and a water gun, and go join in the fun.
Thanks for watching and reading along …..
Riding and smiling as always …… Geoff
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