Arm yourself with a water gun, a playful attitude and a willingness to get wet and soak up the blessings of the Land of Smiles : )
Quarantine reflections – one year ago my husband, 2x teenage daughters, and I, had the most memorable experience of Thailand’s New Year water festival, known as Songkran, in Bangkok.
In the South of Thailand, there are 3 Rules of Songkran
1. Work as little as possible and avoid spending money
2. Do not hurt other persons or animals
3. Do not tell lies
Chao Phraya River – Bangkok
We arrived into Bangkok to the typical high 30 degree heat and stifling humidity. Growing up in North Queensland, the reality of sweat forming in the creases of my body, was all too familiar. It had been a dream to experience Songkran in Thailand, the annual Thai New Year holiday. It’s basically a five day sanctioned water festival! (In other words, a giant water fight!). Traditionally, it’s a time for families to re-connect. To make offerings to revered ones and temples, and practice goodwill, kindness and blessings. Particularly, to offer water, as a blessing, and cleansing gesture.
And with that… it was time to choose our blessing apparatus (ie. water gun) – so many to choose from, modest, mid sized or ridiculously mega!
Ready for Action!
Excitement, and a mischievous, childlike playfulness had filled the streets of steaming Bangkok, with the water festivities about to begin! Some staff, friends and family of our up-market hotel in the Lumphini area of Bangkok had set up a water station on the footpath on the street. They eyed us cheekily as we attempted to walk outside the property, releasing a few friendly jets of water upon us as they giggled among themselves and danced joyfully to the beats pumping from their sound system!
We hailed us a tuk tuk, climbed aboard with our pump action water guns, feeling a bit like silly, naughty delinquents, as we zig-zagged our way through the streets of Bangkok, guns pointed out the side of the open backed vehicle, assessing willing targets on the street and in passing tuk tuks, before shooting our water blessings with glee.
Our chariot awaits!
There is a day of Songkran, known as “Family Day”, where we ventured out in the evening to Lumphini Park . The park was full of people enjoying the water play vibe amidst the neon lights, Thai food markets, music and Buddhist sand sculptures. As a family, we agreed this was our best option to soak up the festivities (pun intended!). Other options could have been Siam Square – great for couples, quite busy, or Khao San Road – a hotspot for eager backpackers and independent young travellers.
As we strolled, soaking wet, through Lumphini Park, amongst hundreds of other happy revellers, the vibe was so fun, so joyful, so collectively playful. Unlike water fights experienced in the West, there was not a hint of vindictiveness or revenge, attack or assault. The Songkran water festival has a courtesy and playfulness to it. There is first the customary eye contact, the cheeky flicker of consent that passes from one person to another. This “look” affirms the playful desire and invitation to be blessed by the stream of water, then… Open Fire! The water represents a blessing – the cleansing of the year gone, and the refreshing joy of the year to come.
So wet… so blessed!
The day after this momentous evening outing, we were to change locations in Bangkok, and head over to our hotel on Khao San Road. My husband and I spent plenty of time in your intrepid youth backpacking days, falling in love with Bangkok, and we wanted to share that with our teen girls. What a scene! Water buckets lined the streets. Water guns hung from market stalls and lined tables. At night, thousands of people packed into the pedestrian only area, for a massive rave, with multiple DJs within 100m of each other, riling the crowds of jovial, enthusiastic revellers – wet, wild and wonderful!
As the five-day Songkran festival ended, and the 37 degree heat remained. We found ourselves walking the streets, back to our beloved restaurant that served amazing fresh fruit smoothies and provided the perfect place to rest in the shade of the Temple, and watch Bangkok life carry on. We were all secretly longing for someone to throw a bucket of ice water, or spray us a refreshing reprieve, to alleviate the dripping sweat reality that is Bangkok in April, otherwise.
Smoothy Sanctuary
Since returning to Australia, particularly during the bush fire season of 2019, we have often thought about how very wonderful for morale it would be, to embrace the Songkran water festival approach. To have a friendly “water fight”, and send droplets of much needed water into our Earth’s atmosphere, as an offering to the clouds, that they may transform it into rain.
… and as I sit here in Quarantine, amidst the Covid19 pandemic, I recall the Three Rules of Songkran. It seems these same rules apply, and that the cool, blessed opportunity to engage kindly with others, is worth embracing, cultivating and spraying now, throughout this ever-changing world.
Happy Songkran!
For more information
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran_(Thailand)
