Songkran, the Thai New Year celebrated from April 13 to April 16, is the most important, the best known and the gayest of Thailand’s festivals. To the Thai people, this festival is one of water throwing and although it has religious significance, it usually turns into great fun. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing.
Songkran is not only observed in Thailand but also in Burma, Laos and Cambodia.
The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit, meaning the beginning of a new solar year. The Thai calendar used to switch to a new year on April 13 but the date was changed to January 1 to bring the country in line with the rest of the world.
In some ways, Songkran resembles the Christian Easter with it’s feasts and processions of people wearing new clothes. Young and old dress in new attire and visit their Wat where food is offered to the monks. Music is often played on the streets as well as at the Wats.
On the eve of Songkran, housewives give their homes a thorough cleaning. Worn-out clothing or household effects and rubbish are burned - it is a spring cleaning day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner.
During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the older people. In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young folks as a sign of respect.
Another unique Songkran custom is the releasing of caged birds and live fish, caught throughout the country and sold / purchased in the markets for this occasion. It is believed that great merit is gained through this kind act. In Paklat (Phra Pradaeng) south of Bangkok, girls in gay dresses form a procession and carry fish bowls to the rivers where the fish are released.
The custom to set free some fish goes back to the days when the central plains of Thailand were flooded during the rainy season. After the water subsided, pools were left and as the pools gradually dried up, baby fish were trapped. Farmers in those days caught small fish and kept them at home until Songkran Day when they released them into the canals, thereby gaining merit as well as preserving one of the main items of their diet.
The whole country celebrates Songkran but the festivities are nowhere as exalted as in Chiang Mai.
If a visitor happens to be in a village, out on a country road or up in Chiang Mai, he can well expect a drenching. All people, particularly the younger ones, throw water on one another during the 3-day holiday.
In Chiang Mai, there are processions of groups of women and girls, and bands play at many places. A Queen of the Water Festival is chosen amidst much noise and gaiety. The Ping River, which runs through the city, is crowded with people wading in the water and scooping it up with pans and buckets. The visitor who wants to be in Chiang Mai for the event must plan his/her trip well in advance as hotels are usually fully booked.
Different parts of the kingdom have their own unique games, songs and dances to celebrate Songkran. Farmers in many parts of the country have ample time for the celebration as they cannot do much work in the fields until the rain comes.
According to an old belief Nagas (mythical serpents) brought rain by spouting water from the seas. The more they spouted, the more rain there would be. So, the Songkran custom of throwing water can be interpreted as an attempt in rain-making.
Ploughing Ceremony
The annual Plowing Ceremony takes place during the sixth lunar month (usually end of May) at the Phramane Ground near the Grand Palace in Bangkok. The ceremony is of great importance to the country’s farmers and thousands come from the provinces to Bangkok for the event. In the old days, the ceremony was held to give farmers the signal that it was an auspicious date to start ploughing for the new rice crop.
According to the booklet, State Ceremonies and Festivals of Twelve Months, written by King Rama V, the ceremony can be traced back to the time of Buddha more than 2500 years ago and has been observed consistently since then.
In the Sukhothai period (1257-1350) the event was a fabulous affair, celebrated with a long procession led by the King, while the Minister of Agriculture did the ploughing. In the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767), the ceremony was a brief one which the King delegated to a representative. During the Bangkok period, since the first Chakri king, the ceremony has been fully observed without omission of any portion of the original rites although the actual ploughing has not been done by the King.
The Ploughing Ceremony is of Brahman origin and the auspicious day and hour are still set by the Royal Brahman astrologers. Some Buddhist elements have, however, been added to the rites.
The King appoints a Phaya Raek Nah (Lord of the Festival) as his representative to carry out the rites. On his arrival at the Phramane Ground, the Phaya Raek Nah is presented with three Panungs (cloth worn around the hips) of different lengths from which he chooses one. If his choice is the longest one, there will be little rain during the coming year; if it is the shortest one, rain will be plentiful while the one of medium-length denotes average rain.
A procession follows the red and gold sacred plough drawn by bulls decorated with flowers. Drummers in green costumes keep the beat and Brahmans chant and blow conch shells; four Nang Thepi or Consecrated Women carry gold and silver baskets filled with rice-seed.
The bulls then turn a few furrows with the sacred plough, after which the animals are presented with seven different foods and drinks: rice seed, beans, maize, hay, sesame seed, water and alcoholic liquor. It is believed that whatever the bulls choose to eat or drink will be plentiful during the next year.
The scattering of rice seed by the Phaya Raek Nah follows the ploughing. After the ceremony is ended, barriers are let down and hundreds of people rush to the rice field in an attempt to gather a few grains for good luck. Even if a farmer finds only one grain, it is taken home and mixed with his own rice to ensure a good crop in the coming year.
Loi Krathong
The night of the full moon of the twelfth lunar month (usually in mid-November) is the time of Loi Krathong. Loi means to float and Krathong is a leaf cup normally made of banana leaf. Usually the Krathong has a small coin in it, besides a candle and incense sticks.
It is unclear to what extent the festival has a religious relevance. It’s not Buddhist but Buddhism doesn’t prohibit the belief in a wide array of spirits and can even coexist with other religions. The fact that the Loi Krathong is not Buddhist doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t have a quasi religious meaning for a large number of people. A common belief is that floating the cups brings good luck.
During October and November all rivers and canals in the lowlands are flooded and in some places overflow their banks. The rainy season has ended and after the strenuous labor of ploughing and planting rice for the previous three months from dawn to dusk the heavy work is now over for the country folk. The peasants have only to wait a month to six weeks for the harvest. During this idle interval they spend the time with many feasts and festivals, among them the observance of the Loi Krathong tradition.
In the evening, when the full moon begins to rise, people carry their Krathongs to the banks of waterways. After the candle and incense sticks are lighted, the Krathong is pushed gently out onto the surface of the placid water. A few folk will raise their hands in worship. They watch the Krathong as it floats sluggishly along until it is out of sight.
The floating Krathong usually has a short life. As it floats far away from its starting place, children will, in most cases, swim out to snatch for it. They will perhaps ignore the empty ones, but are certainly eager to catch those with small coins inside.
