Splashing Good Times At Songkran Festival

By Sakini Mohd Said HAADYAI, April 26(Bernama) -- It was a peaceful evening at the Asian Hotel. People could be seen milling about outside the hotel, which is located in the shopping area in the heart of Songkhla province, Haadyai. Across the hotel, many people were busy shopping for items at roadside stalls. Some were feasting their eyes on the variety of products on display, such as t-shirts, shoes and accessories. All was well and quiet, until a loud scream pierced through the tranquillity. Suddenly, as in a scene from a battle, a small group of what appeared to be gunmen ambushed the streets and started shooting anyone and everyone who crossed their paths. The crowd ran helter-skelter, with everyone seeking a safe place to hide. What worsened this chaotic situation was that some policemen, who were just around the corner, seemed unperturbed by the situation. Many civilians had been shot, but the policemen merely smiled and looked on! Another weird aspect of the situation was that although many had been shot at, no one was dead or injured. The streets were not bathed in blood, but merely water. However, it had not been raining, and the weather was rather hot. So where had all the water come from? It came from the water guns, water balloons and buckets of water used by the “gunmen,” who were celebrating Songkran Festival 2012. THAILAND WATER FESTIVAL The Songkran Festival, also known as the Thailand Water Festival, is celebrated to mark the traditional Thai New Year. It is an important event on the country’s tourism calendar. Celebrated throughout the 77 provinces of Thailand, the annual festival takes place from April 13 to 15. Its dates were originally determined based on astrological calculations; however, nowadays, the dates are fixed. ‘Songkran' in the Sanskrit language means the beginning of a new solar year. Today, however, Thailand celebrates the New Year on its eve, Dec 31. Interestingly, this unique water festival has become an event that is celebrated not only by Thais but also by foreign tourists, who look forward to the festival when visiting Thailand. Due to the massive splashing of water that characterizes this festival, Songkran has been likened to the Indian festival of Holi and the Chinese festival of Ching Ming. During Songkran, Thais offer prayers at temples and help clean the temples. They wash the statues of Buddha with scented water and save this water to be sprinkled over the shoulders of their elders and family members. They believe that this act will bring them good luck. It is traditionally believed that throwing water gets rid of bad deeds and provides a fresh welcome to the New Year. It is also the way Thais pay homage to others. However, as time went by, the tradition of sprinkling water onto others for blessings turned into a ‘water war'. Today, Thais of all ages thoroughly enjoy splashing and drenching each other with water during the festival. NO ONE WILL BE SPARED! If you expect to escape being soaked by simply pleading “mai au, mai au” (don’t, don’t), you are totally mistaken. You can never step out into the streets during the festival without finding someone ready to ambush you with water. “We will make sure no one will return with their clothes dry. It is fun to see everybody get wet!” exclaimed Darunee, a Thai lass celebrating Songkran with her friends in Haadyai. Even though the most popular Songkran celebrations take place in the northern city of Chiang Mai, Haadyai is also a favourite spot among tourists. Haadyai, which is located near the Malaysian border in southern Thailand, celebrates the massive water festival two days early, from April 11 to 15. The celebration is kicked off with a series of events such as hula hoop shows, Songkran dance sports, parades and Muay Thai events. The climax of the celebration is the Midnight Songkran Carnival, which starts from Robinson’s Haadyai along Thammanoonvithi Road and proceeds along Nipatuthit 2 Road until it reaches Nipatuthit 3 Road. The roads in the city are packed with not only foreigners arriving for the festival but also locals. They all come out to celebrate Songkran fully armed with water guns and buckets of water. Those who believe that they will be spared if they remain in pick-up trucks, tuk tuks or on motorcycles find themselves sorely mistaken. They will still get soaked. Some revellers even resort to stopping motorcycles to splash their riders. However, this does not really upset anyone. FOAM PARTY Another reason why no one seems to really mind being splashed is that the water festival occurs during the hottest time of the year, when temperatures can soar to 40 degrees Celsius. The water comes as a welcome relief. Those who become so busy splashing others that they find themselves running out of water can actually find 'refill' containers along the streets. It is interesting to note that the containers are filled with ice cubes. A first-time visitor to Malaysia, who came from Johor Baharu and who only wanted to be known as Leo, said that the atmosphere of massive celebration bedazzled him. “I have just heard about this festival from friends, but wow, I can’t believe how amazing it is. Everyone is such a good sport about it. We can splash just about anyone,” he remarked to Bernama, adding that his favourite activity was the foam party. “Who’d have thought there was snow in Haadyai?" he exclaimed after visiting Sanehanusorn Road, where everyone was happily throwing foam at each other. A word of caution, though, for anyone travelling with money and water-sensitive valuables —it is best to either leave them at home or carry them wrapped in a waterproof bag. Those who are keen to take photos of the splashing good times are also reminded to use waterproof cameras or wrap their cameras in a plastic bag, lest their cameras be damaged by the water. GOOD BUSINESS Another group of people who enjoy the festival are the local traders. Hotels and lodges enjoy brisk business at this time, while traders report an increase in their profits. The top-selling items during the Songkran Festival, rather unsurprisingly, are water guns and buckets. “The festival has augured well for the business community as visitors celebrate it at the city,” said a trader who wanted to be known as Tift. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Songkhla Tourism Association Surapol Kampalanonwat was quoted in a news report as saying that many of the tourists who came to Haadyai to celebrate Songkran are from Malaysia and Singapore. The recent bomb attack in Haadyai appears to have had minimal impact on tourist arrivals in the province for the celebration of Songkran. -- BERNAMA