Songkran Festival ( water festival )

The temple (wat) Where people go and wish for luck

The kids having fun

April is the worst month of the year. It’s the hottest month, say 36 to 41 centigrade. At times, Bangkok in April was recorded as the hottest place on earth. Both the heat and the sun are what Thais have been trying to stay away from since birth. There's more than enough sunshine here.

Luckily, there’s a festival in April. And it’s the country’s most important and the biggest time of the year. It’s called Songkran, Thailand’s New Year celebration.

Songkran is the water festival, a great way to cool down the heat from April 13 to 15. Interestingly, rain usually falls a few weeks or right after Songkran. It’s quite like Songkran is an introduction to the rainy season.

During the festival, all Thais would head back to their hometown to reunite and celebrate with their families. Some would go to Chiangmai, the heart of the festival. (Chiangmai is the place for it.) As people from all directions travel nation wide at the same time, traffic jams and high road accidents are inevitable.

Traffic casualties always hit the record high during the festival no matter what counter measures are conducted. Highest accidents are from motorcycles, pick-up trucks, and cars respectively. Songkran is a busy and stressful time for the police, directing the traffic and testing alcohol on drivers. They're among a few people not having fun like the others.

Since ancient times, Thailand’s New Year fluctuated by the yearly calendar. There was no fix date for the New Year. Until 1889, the New Year was appointed on April first. (Yes, April fool’s day.) And finally moved to January the first like the rest of the world in 1941.

During Songkran, the wats (temples) are where people go and wish for luck. They pay to free the caged birds and fish, give alms to monks, pour water on the Buddha image, etc.

Songkran will always be Thailand's biggest time of the year. If you want to see the real thing, stay out of Bangkok. It's the "Quiet Bangkok, Noisy Thailand" water festival.

Songkran is prohibited in most main streets of Bangkok due to safety restrictions. Only a few places are allowed like Khaosaan road, Patpong, and in small streets. For those who want to have real fun, it's best to go elsewhere. Stay out of Bangkok.
Many public places like hotels, department stores, and restaurants would prepare indoor Songkran for their customers. Indoor Songkran is performed by the worshippers pouring water on the Buddha image and blessing for their happy new year.

Bits & Pieces

1. Olden days Songkran was performed gently with people pouring water on one another and blessed for the new year luck. Nowadays, Songkran has gone wild with people throwing water only. Some men would take the opportunity to touch women on the face and body. (It's inappropriate for men to touch unknown women in the Thai culture. Even among "just friends", Thai girls consider this a rude behavior).

2. The best places to play Songkran in Bangkok is in Patpong, Sanaam Luang (very traditional), and Khaosaan Road.

3. While many tourist come to Thailand for the festival, a large number of Thais would go overseas during this time. Songkran is one of the peak times for outbound Thai tourists.