No idea how I've missed it before but today is Songkran, a three day festival celebrating the Thai New Year, also known as the water festival, so today I am a Songkran newbie.
The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thai's roam the streets with containers of water or water guns (sometimes mixed with mentholated talc), or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. This, however, was not always the main activity of this festival. Songkran was traditionally a time to visit and pay respects to elders, including family members, friends, neighbours, and monks. And as an elder, I was expecting the odd sprinkle, but not the mass madness that is out there!
I wake up to find the hotel pool festooned with balloons, every fountain, jacuzzi and water feature turned on and a huge poolside buffet laid out for later on. I pack my bag with everything in waterproof bags and venture out. It started gently enough with the odd squirt from a water pistol, but as I got to the road the extent of the celebration became clear! Lining the road were water stations, huge bins of water, hose pipes, buckets, water pistols, you name it. Every passing vehicle including motorbikes, open tuk tuks and police cars were doused. I thought I could get away with it by skulking along the pavement, but no, water came from everywhere. I had two choices, go back to the safety of the hotel, or go with the flow. The flow it was and my, did it flow! After trying to escape the worst soaking by crossing and re crossing the road at strategic points to miss the worst, and then standing in the sun for a while to try and dry off, it became clear that the best strategy was just to go with it! I was assaulted with pans of water, water pistols and daubed with mentholated talc, and ended up looking like an entrant into the over 50's Miss Wet T shirt competition, which had there been one, of course I would have won! It's obvious how seriously the Thai's take this holiday, virtually all of the shops, bars and restaurants are closed.
Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran as a Buddhist festival may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. But temples seem to be in short supply here, so I didn't witness that, but did see the new offerings at all the spirit houses along the way. I pop into a shop that was open to escape for a few minutes, but still no escape. I am smeared with more talc and given New Year kisses by the two old guys who were in there.... Happy days, and Happy New Year!l
But by lunchtime, the skies decide to make their own watery contribution to Songkran, the thunder rumbles and the rain starts. You have to feel sorry for the hotel, everything laid out for the barbecue, and then having to be hastily moved away before even one customer had sat down. Pity really I was looking forward to a prawn thrown on the barbie.....and is a Bank Holiday when it rains but everyone is throwing water at everyone else still considered a washout?
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