Happy Songkran! Every year on April 13-16, the Thais (and Lao, Buddhist Indians and Burmese) celebrate the annual water festival, which coincides with the sun crossing Aries and the hottest time of year - when getting doused with water is really quite refreshing.
I had to good fortune of witnessing Songkran festivities in Chiang Mai and Bangkok, and can attest that the best party is definitely in Chiang Mai, as the whole city , and people of all ages, participate in the water festivities. A traditional part of Songkran is to give merit (offerings) to the monks and to wash the Buddha statues in a ritual of cleansing. It is also a tradition to pour water of the hands of the elderly as a sign of respect; or as one friend put it, "We wash our parents for the New Year!". But the most memorable Songkran tradition is the water fights. Thai families set up a large wading pool or buckets filled with water outside their homes and kids and adults take pleasure in hosing down passerbys.
This reminded me of a mix between Carneval and Halloween... as it is a kid centric holiday (children are the most enthusiastic participants in the water fights) but people also dress in colourful clothes and some even wear masks.
I and my backpack got totally drenched leaving CM on my way to take the train to Bangkok but luckily I had anticipated the cold showers and put every last item in a plastic bag (thanks mom for the bags!).
I am writing from the Don Muang airport awaiting my flight to Yangon, Myanmar!
Hugs,
Mia
(Français)
En résumé... Je viens de fêter Songkran, le festival de l eau en Tahilande qui est aussi célébré au Laos, au Myanmar et dans certaines regions de l'Inde. C etait toute une occasion! C est le moment de se "purifier" et le pays au complet prend plaisir à s arroser d'eau. Les enfants adorent cela! Quel plaisir de pouvoir arroser les passants... surtout lorsqu on les surprend avec de l eau glacée! Super rafraichissant ;)
Je pars maintenant pour le Myanmar. Je vous embrasse!
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