Songkran Festival: Thai New Year

After a few quiet days back at site it was time for the beginning of Songkran Festival – Thai New Year.  Every year Songkran is celebrated throughout Thailand with trips to the wats to make merit, spending time with family and ‘playing water’.  People pour water on each other as a way of cleansing off the old in order to bring in the new year and offer blessings and good wishes.  It’s the biggest holiday celebration in Thailand and lasts for at least several days – we officially had 3 days off work and a really long weekend.  In my community this celebration is kicked off every year with a day of parades, ceremonies, some water throwing and a beauty pageant near one of the local temples.  I went early dressed in the designated Songkran attire (a brightly colored, flowered shirt) and enjoyed the festivities throughout the day.  Events like these allow me the opportunity to see a lot of people I know from around the community in one place, including many students that were in the middle of their summer break from school.  That night I was headed to Chiang Mai in northern Thailand to participate in one of the biggest Songkran celebrations in Thailand. 

Me with some of the local health station staff

They love pictures!

Beauty pageant. No one's sitting/standing in the space near the stage because it's sunny - everyone's in the shade

Parade

'Dancers'

Pouring water on the elderly

Waiting to perform

Chiang Mai is famous for their Songkran celebration and I was excited to participate along with a few fellow PCVs.  Chiang Mai’s old city is surrounded by a moat and much of the ‘water playing’ occurs on the main street running parallel around it.   April is the hottest month of the year in Thailand so participating in an all day water fight provides a welcome relief from the heat.  A word to the wise: if in Chiang Mai during the days of Songkran, prepare to get wet – it’s inevitable.  Everyone involved arms themselves with water guns while people pile in the backs of pickup trucks to drive through the streets and douse people around the city with buckets of sometimes ice-cold water.  There’s not really a way to escape it, except to avoid the area entirely.  The first day I got there I left my guesthouse, fairly unprepared except for putting my phone in a ziploc bag.  I went in search of some local noodles and came back half-soaked with a ham and cheese sandwich from 7-11 (after the first couple bucket-splashes I decided not to walk much farther and instead peruse the seven for something delicious).   

After I’d fully prepared myself and met up with a few friends, we donned our flowered shirts, waterproof bags and newly purchased water guns and took to the streets.  Within minutes of hitting the main street, we were full participants in the all out water fight.  The street was full of people, Thais and farangs, everyone throwing water at everyone else.  It was complete madness in places, and it was awesome. 

We took part in the water fight every day, walking up and down the streets shooting water at everyone and maintaining our soaking wet status. 

Even the local police joined in!

Getting water from (but mostly playing in) the moat

Armed and ready: the gun on the left broke the first day, so I got the one on the right - a dinosaur attached to a water bottle.  I named him Charles and he was so awesome I kept him and took him home

We camped out and took refuge in a bar for awhile, then splashed everyone coming down the street

One day I decided to go do a little temple sight-seeing before engaging in the daily water fight.  I did it all on foot and on my way down one street I noticed a small crowd of Thai people gathered in front of a restaurant and a few policemen up and down the street.  I stopped for a bit to see what was happening, and a few moments later everyone got out their cell phones, iPads and cameras and started taking pictures of someone I couldn’t quite see.  Soon enough I noticed the person being photographed – the Prime Minister of Thailand.  I stood around for a few minutes watching with the other Thais around before making my way to a nearby temple.  On my way back I decided to retrace my steps and see if she was still there.  Sure enough she was, and was getting ready to leave with her family.  Several people were taking the opportunity to get pictures with her, and wanting one myself I decided to make my way to the front.  Eventually I jumped in there and politely asked for a picture.  She asked where I was from, I told her and briefly explained that I was a volunteer in Isan.  She was very gracious and I thanked her for the picture – so unexpected and pretty awesome!

Me with the Prime Minister of Thailand

Monks working at one of the temples

A few pictures from the temples I went to