Imagine looking outside and seeing total mayhem. A civil war being raged in the streets where it is brother against brother and nobody is safe. Drive-by shootings from the back of motorcycles and pick-up trucks; huge canons being fired into crowds from the side of the road.
Now replace the bullets with water; the screams of pain with howls of joy and you have the Songkran festival (pronounced Songkan), celebrated throughout Thailand but particularly famous around the world in Chiang Mai, Northern Thailand.
For five to seven days you cannot go outside during the day in Chiang Mai without being totally drenched. There are no taxis in Chiang Mai either; only tuk tuks and the crowds are always waiting to douse anybody they can. Everybody is fair game and people use all types of water conveying tools from simple buckets to water pistols to large canons to huge ice filled drums in the back of pick-up trucks.
The annual death toll from traffic incidents during Songkran is also high enough that it would not look out of place after a short civil war. The official 2011 figures were 271 people killed on the roads and 3,476 injured, mostly from motorbike accidents and more often than not involving alcohol. Quite high but a significant drop from the 2003 figures of 547 and 35,891 respectively, thanks mostly to a crackdown by police and a protracted public awareness campaign.
The origins of the water throwing derive from the age-old custom of pouring water onto friends and relatives in order to bring good luck. Even today this custom is observed- not in the streets- but at home and is more widespread in the provinces. People will kneel before and pour scented water over the cupped hands of older relatives. The person receiving the water will sometimes recite a Buddhist incantation. After the water has been poured over the hands, the relative may then sprinkle some of the water onto the younger person’s head to cool them. A white powder is also sometimes smeared onto the cheeks. A small amount of water can also be poured over the shoulders as a sign of respect.
While you probably won’t get to take part in this custom unless you have friends or relatives in Thailand, you can still visit any shrine during the holiday period and join in as people pour water over an array of Buddhist statues to bring good fortune.
There is a legend behind the Songkran festival. King Kabilprom was threatened by the charm and popularity of a man named Thammabal Kuman, whom it was reported could communicate with animals. The King summoned Kuman and posed three questions to him, announcing that if he could not answer them he would be be-headed. However if Kumom was able to answer the questions, the King would have himself be-headed. He had seven days to come up with the answers.
Kuman easily answered the first two questions but was pondering the third under a tree when a bird whispered the answer to him. Thus the king lived up to his word to have himself be-headed. Before he did so, he asked his seven daughters to take turns in carrying his head around the world once a year so that his subjects could gaze upon it. Each daughter has her own weapon and individual power and the day on which the Lunar New Year falls determines which daughter will carry the head each year; one daughter for each day of the week.
The official dates of Songkran this year are from Friday April 13th to Monday April 16th. Celebrations may extend a few days after the official dates in certain areas.
Thai Airways flies direct to Bangkok from Nagoya 11 times a week with daily flights departing Chubu International Airport at 11am, and 4:55 pm departures on Mondays, Thursday, Fridays and Saturdays.
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