The Ultimate Water Fight

Now famous the World over, Songkran, the traditional Thai New Year, is once again almost upon us. The all important days are, as always, the 13th to the 15th of April, although in much of the Kingdom you can expect celebrations to continue for closer to a week and here in Pattaya usually for even a little longer. That said, if you are going to be in Thailand at the time, you certainly won't need to be told that the Thais are celebrating. In fact, even someone unfortunate enough to be both deaf and blind wouldn't be able to miss it. They would feel it, most probably with a bucket of ice cold water over the head and mischievous hands smearing sticky paste on their face. Just in case you don't know, or haven't yet figured it out, the reason that the festival has become so well known is because of the unusual way in which it is celebrated, namely several days of the biggest water fights you will find anywhere.

However, there is actually far more to Songkran than mass soakings for anyone and everyone who dares to venture out on to the streets. Like most festivals around the globe, lying behind it is a great deal of interesting history and tradition. In fact Songkran dates back so far that its exact origins are less than certain, although most historians tend to agree that the celebration probably began with the Tai people long before the existence of Thailand.

It is widely believed that the Tais originally came from the area that is now south west China and north Vietnam. Indeed Tai tribes remain in the mountains of north west Vietnam to this day. However, back when the majority of the Tais still remained in their northern homelands, they celebrated the New Year in November, at the start of their lunar calendar, which I suppose seems as good a time as any. But it was a calendar that was based on farming cycles and those cycles of planting and harvesting were altered by the climatic changes they experienced when they moved south to the area we now call Thailand. So it was that change, alongside influences from the new culture of those amongst whom they settled, that gradually led to the New Year celebrations moving to the back end of their fifth lunar month, which is now April on the Gregorian calendar. But a great deal has changed since those early days and what academics generally believe was essentially a form of fertility ceremony to celebrate the New Year. And given those north Asian origins, it is perhaps surprising that a great deal of the influence for the changes that have taken place can be traced to the other end of the Asian continent and to the area that today is known as the Indian sub continent.

In fact, as with much of the Thai language, the very word Songkran, or Songgran, has its roots in ancient Indian language. The Sanskrit dialect and the Pali text, both of which developed in the sub-continent, are credited as having had a strong influence in the development of many South East Asian languages, including Thai, and it is believed to be Pali, the text of the ancient Buddist scriptures, from which the term Songkran derives. In Pali the term Sankhara (Sankranti in Sanskrit) describes the movement of the sun from one sign of the zodiac to another, and, given the date on which Songkran is celebrated, more specifically the movement from Aries to Taurus. In Thai, the term became Sangkan and later took on its current form.

Moreover, the basis of the modern day celebration is believed to have originated with Brahmin Priests. These priests were actually Hindus who can again be traced back to India, Brahmin India to be exact, and who practiced an aspect of Hinduism characterized by magical and ritualistic practices. You might well be a little confused because Thailand is of course, by and large, a Buddhist country, not a Hindu one. However, Buddhism originated in India and thus in a Hindu setting. So it was perhaps inevitable that as Buddhism grew as a faith in its own right, and while the dividing line between it and Hinduism was still less clear than it is in this day and age, it was influenced to a significant extent by the older religion.

Over the years, a folk tale has grown up around the Songkran festival. It tells of how one of the gods of a higher heavenly realm, Kabil Maha Phrom, lost his head in a wager with a young man famed for his learning and his ability to understand the language of the birds. Jealous of the young man, the god challenged him to solve three extremely difficult riddles or lose his head. Succeed and the god would sacrifice his own. He had seven days.

The young man thought long and hard, but simply could not solve the tricky conundrums. So he accepted defeat, but rather than allow the god to take his head, he decided to end his own life. However, when he stopped at the foot of a tree to do so, he overheard a mother eagle on the branches above telling his story to her hungry eaglets, explaining how they would soon be able to feed on his dead body. But at the end of the tale, the curious eaglets demanded to know the answers to the god's riddles, and so their mother told them.

So, having learnt the answers, when the god returned after seven days, the young man provided him with the answers that he feared and it was the god who lost his head. But, being a god's head, it couldn't touch the ground, for if it did the earth would burn and it couldn't fall to the sea because if it did the oceans would dry up. So it was placed in a cave in the heavens, from where it would be taken out only once a year, on Songkran Day. And it is said that on the first day of the New Year celebration, the god's seven daughters take turns to carry his severed head in a procession with the other gods and goddesses.

The god's daughters are known as Nang Songkran, or the Songkran ladies and they will appear in Songkran parades everywhere. Dependent on the year, the Nang Songkran will ride one of seven different animals and dependent upon the time of day that astrologers have calculated the sun will move into the new sign she will adopt one of four different postures. For the morning she will stand on the animal's back, for the afternoon she will ride on the animal's back, for the evening she will recline with her eye's open and for the night she will recline with her eye's closed. Traditionally, this would indicate to those who could not read when exactly during the day the New Year would begin.

The New Year festival is actually in two parts, the celebration of the end of one year, which is known as Troot, and the start of a new year, Songkran. In recognition of this a number of charming and traditional rituals take place on each of the three days. The first of these involves cleansing in preparation for the New Year and includes cleaning the house, burning rubbish and bathing images of Buddha with lustral water. The concept is one of clearing away ills from the year gone by, purification and renewal. And it is a continuation of this theme which lies behind the ceremonial bathing of family elders and monks that is also part of the celebration. Contrary to how it sounds, this does not involve a full bath, but rather the pouring of scented water over their hands, and it is probably in this that the origins of the water fights lay. As part of the process, white paste is often applied to the face and neck to ward off evil spirits.

Another important Songkran tradition involves merit making at temples, whereby the monks are presented with food, robes and other goods. The idea of merit making is one that is common in Thai society, being a practice that is believed to bring favour to one's dead relatives.When visiting a temple during Songkran, it is also traditional to build and decorate sand stupas in the temple's grounds. In beautifying the surroundings and, on a more practical note, replacing sand that has been washed away by the previous year's rains, to do so also amounts to a form of merit making. It is also a way of giving thanks and doing good towards others, both of which are also themes that have developed a strong association with Songkran.

For Thais, Songkran is the most important time of the year. It is a time for family and those who can, will usually travel to their home province for the holiday, in order to be able to celebrate with those closest to them. But it is also a time for fun, so wherever and whenever you venture out on to the street during the festival you will be met not only by jets of water from every imaginable angle, but also by the happy, smiling and excited faces of people who are themselves absolutely drenched from head to toe.

Make sure you join in and enjoy yourself, but always remember the spirit in which the water fights take place. They are never intended to be malicious; it is all for fun and the Thais take their soakings in extremely good humour. You should do the same. If you can't do so, then my advice is to either leave Thailand or stay inside, at least for the duration of the holiday. Also remember that the water fights are a day time activity and do not carry over into the night time, so if you throw a bucket of water over someone after dark, don't be surprised if they get a little bit upset. On a slightly more serious note, use your head and don't throw or fire water at motorcyclists. Of course, it sounds like common sense, but nevertheless it happens all the time and the number of deaths and injuries from road accidents during Songkran is nothing short of horrific. But it is the only real downside to what is a truly wonderful festival, so get out there and have a great time. Just remember to keep your mobile phone, your cash and any important papers in a water tight plastic bag.

Happy Songkran.