Songkran

This past week the Thais celebrated their new year. It's called Songkran, and it's nothing like our tiny little one night party we have in the US. These people blow it OUT for 3 straight days, and in places like Chiang Mai (where I live) the celebration can last 6 days.

But it's HOW they celebrate this holiday that makes it so unique. Below is a description taken from Wikipedia:

"The most obvious celebration of Songkran is the throwing of water. Thais 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, neighbors, and monks.

     The throwing of water originated as a way to pay respect to people, by capturing the water after it had been poured over the Buddhas for cleansing and then using this "blessed" water to give good fortune to elders and family by gently pouring it on the shoulder. Among young people the holiday evolved to include dousing strangers with water to relieve the heat, since April is the hottest month in Thailand (temperatures can rise to over 100°F or 40°C on some days). This has further evolved into water fights and splashing water over people riding in vehicles."

Have a look for yourself. The first part of this video was taken right outside of our condo. So it was pretty tame, but downtown Chiang Mai was complete insanity!!

Happy Songkran from Rusty Jackson on Vimeo.