Thursday, April 15, 2010

SONGKRAN


Imagine tens of thousands of people throwing buckets of water on strangers passing by as a way of celebrating. This, in part, is Songkran, commemorating the Thai New Year. We just happened to be here in Chaing Mai at this time, which also just happens to be the 'wettest' city in Thailand for the New Year celebrations which began April 13th and runs thru April 15th.

Songkran means 'movement' or 'change,' indicating the sun coming into a new position. The splashing of water in Buddhist culture has had significant meaning. It has been a symbol of cleansing and renewal. Families would sprinkle water on the elders as a show of respect. The Thai New Year Songkran Festival has now become legendary for its water play.

So yesterday - ('when in Thailand,' right?) - we drove thru the streets of Chaing Mai with our friend and missionary, Dave Kniesz, in the back of his pickup truck. It was loaded with water up to our shins and we had big black barrels of water filled up. Big super soakers and large cups were our weapons. The traffic moved at a snail's pace because of all the traffic involved in the celebration. The main dragway was traveling around the moat of the city, from which many were getting their water (yeah, it was dirty water).


There were thousands and thousands of people on the streets for the Songkran Festival New Year, dousing one another with buckets of water -- throwing it on cyclists as they rode by -- on pedestrians -- on children and old people -- pickups like ours lined the streets filled with 4 to 18 people in the back, all with buckets and squirt guns, shooting everybody in sight. Some purchased huge blocks of ice to put in their water containers so the water that was thrown on you was as icy as you can ima

gine.


At one point as we passed a large fountain area, we saw hundreds of people playing in a mass of suds emanating from the huge fountain - and throwing it on as many people as they could (at top).

We rode in the back of Dave's truck and threw ourselves wholeheartedly into the celebration. We were drenched to the bone within five minutes of leaving our hotel. This was happening all over the city - anywhere and everywhere you walked. There is no mercy. Even if you are dressed up, it doesn't matter. Everyone is fair game during Songkran. Absolutely wild -- and fun.


Wish you were here.


And be blessed.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I wish I was there, too...for the fun and festivities, but also to get a first-hand feel for missions work. Am I cut out for it or am I just kidding myself. I know I can do all things thru Christ who strengthens me...but deep down inside, I am just Kathy...a regular person.

I am so glad David added me as a friend on FB...he seems awesome. I have heard numerous wonderful things about him and Barb since I have been coming to KFA.

Anonymous said...

At the Dai Minority Park, an "ethnic theme park" that actually encompasses five Dai villages (Mie Duc Hong's community is one of them), the annual tradition has strayed furthest from its tranquil origins. There, the water-splashing portion of the festival is organized in a shallow pool every day at 3:30 p.m. Cable describes the spectacle as a "large-scale wet-T-shirt contest." For $5, tourists can rent plastic basins for splashing each other and scantily-clad Dai women. "Authenticity is much less important than entertainment in China," says Cable. "Tourists don't come to see authentic rituals. They come to see outrageous ones." The park, which is run by a management company owned by Han Chinese, the country's ethnic majority, still anticipates over 1,000 visitors to the water-splashing pavilion over the three days of festivities ending Thursday. But even these vacationers will be forced to use less water than usual, says Yu Leong, a management-office employee.

><>Sounds like a way to cool off others, but the above sounds more like others celebrating spring break!! stay cool PK---GRIZZ