Songkran Festival 2017: Thailand

Songkran festival marks the New Year for most Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Myanmar, and Vietnam. In Thailand, the pouring of water symbolizes cleansing, good health, and prosperity for the coming year. This is done by gently pouring perfumed-water onto the body or head, in the case of an elder to someone younger. Younger individuals pour water onto the body of someone older, not on the face or head as this is considered a disrespect.

Songkran is officially celebrated on the 13th to the 15th of April. This is the time when families reunite to pay respect to elders and visit temples for prayer and offering. Most establishments like schools, government offices, banks, and family-run businesses are closed during this time.


Modern day Songkran, on the other hand, has a fun-filled twist in it. As Songkran gains popularity among tourists, it has become one of the grandest and most visited festival in Thailand. In major cities, it is celebrated with water guns, prickly-heat powder and ice cold water. The friendly splashing of water is done whole day long amidst the scorching heat as April is the hottest month of the year in this part of the world. There is a lot of dancing, booze, and merry-making. Some places host foam party with boombastic music, dancing, and tons of alcoholic drinks. In tourist favorite places like Trang, Phuket, Koh Lanta and Ao Nang Krabi means scantily-clad tourist parttaking in water splashing along the streets without knowing that Songkran is a meaningful festival that has its roots way back in time.

How was your Songkran?

Krathong Making

Loy Krathong is a Thai celebration that happens in the month of November, wherein Thais float their krathongs in any body of water or fly Chinese lanterns in the air on the night of the festivity. However, prior to this, in schools, students make their own krathongs and sometimes join a krathong making contest.

Here are the materials needed in making a krathong.

  • Banana trunk
  • Leaves
  • Pins
  • Flowers

Procedure:

  1. Cut banana trunk into 2 to 3 inches chunks.

    chunk of banana trunk wrapped in leaves
  2. Wrap it with leaves. It could be banana or some other kind will do. You may also fold strips of banana leaves into triangular shapes resembling a lotus to cover the chunk of banana trunk with.
  3. Use pins to secure the decoration into the banana trunk base.
  4. Decorate it with different kinds of flowers.
  5. Finally, stick in a candle and incense sticks.

 

Thai people add in the krathong lock of their hair and pieces of trimmed nails.  This is to symbolize that they are want to drive off misfortune and bad things in the past.

 

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