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Thailand's favorite holiday begins on 13 April and lasts for three
days. It's called Songkran, a Sanskrit word which means the beginning
of a new Solar Year. This festival originated in India and is celebrated
in Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
Songkran is also a water festival. In Thai culture, water is the
symbol of life as without abundant water, the primary rice crops
can not grow.
While in the West, people tend to celebrate the power of the Sun,
in Southeast Asia, water is the most important element and many
Thai festivals include water rituals which respect the gods and
goddesses which control the rain.
Songkran occurs during the hottest season of the year. While young
people can be seen laughing while throwing water on one another
to keep cool, Songkran is also an important religious festival which
combines aspects of Christian Easter and Western New Year rituals.
All family members visit their Thai temple in new clothes and offer
baskets of food and clothing to the monks. While young people have
fun throwing water at one another, they pour scented water into
the hands of elders and parents as a show of respect while seeking
the blessings of the older, respected people.
In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed
in new apparel presented by their young relatives as a sign of respect.
On the eve of Songkran Day, housewives give their homes a thorough
cleaning. Worn out clothing or household effects and rubbish are
burned in the belief that anything old and useless must be thrown
away or it will bring bad luck to the owner. During the afternoon
of the 13 April, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony.
Another unique Songkran custom is to release live birds and fish
purchased in the markets. It is believed that great merit is gained
through kindness.
The releasing of fish is an old custom when most of the low rice
fields were flooded during the rainy season and after the water
evaporated, pools were left with small fish trapped.
Farmers would collect the fish and keep them until Songkran and
release them into the rivers and canals thereby gaining merit as
well as preserving one of the main items in their diet.
It is a traditional belief that Nagas or mythical serpents brought
on the rains by spouting water from the seas. The more they spouted,
the more rain there would be so the custom of throwing water at
Songkran is actually a rain making practice.
On Phuket, truckloads of young people drive around the island throwing
buckets of fresh water at one another. It is probably not the best
day for visitors to the island to walk around shopping. However,
in most of the island's hotels, the lovely rituals of Songkran are
celebrated by staff who pay respect not only to their managers but
to valued guests. Some resorts offer tour programs to local temples
where their international guests can join in the Buddhist religious
rites of paying respect to monks.
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