Songkran (Thai
New Year)
If you like a New Year's party, Thailand is the place
for you. Phukets people are blessed with no less than three
annual opportunities to ring in a new year with their European
friends on January 1st, with their Chinese friends in early
February, and on April 13, which has for centuries marked the
first day of of the traditional Thai solar calendar. This last
celebration is called Songkran, and it is one of the most
joyous occasions in The Kingdom.
The word Songkran comes from the
Sanskrit words for "New Year", and the Thai celebration was
probably imported with major aspects of Indian culture over
2,500 years ago.
Songkran in Thailand is a holiday
primarily dedicated to the family, and tourists may notice a
much slimmer staff manning the restaurants and hotels as every
employee who is able goes home to spend the day with his or
her relatives.
Back
in the provinces huge meals are pre-pared, homes are
fastidiously cleaned, and sacred altars and images
respectfully washed. Family members who are scattered for the
rest of the year by employment or marriage come together to
renew their bonds and exchange gossip. Perhaps the most lovely
rite associated with Songkran is the wai khon gaa ceremony,
where whole neighborhoods will line up to pour water over the
hands of the community's two oldest members, giving and
receiving blessings for the coming year.
Unfortunately, because over 90%
of the Thai people on Phuket are originally from other
provinces, it is not easy to find these ancient and moving
ceremonies here. The most common manifestation of Songkran to
be seen on Phuket is the practice of sat nam, which means
gaining control of large quantities of water, preferably
chilled to just below freezing, and an advantageous spot from
which to surprise and drench passing unwary pedestrians.
On April 13 every year the
streets of every town and village on the island are lined with
giggling teenagers armed with and arsenal of water guns,
buckets. barrels , dippers, hoses and all manner of delivery
vehicle with which to launch their often icy-cold liquid
missiles. Only police officers in uniform are immune to
attack; everyone else is expected to take their
punishment
with good humor. It is not uncommon to enter the post office,
bank or some other place of business and be greeted by a
smiling clerk wearing a sopping wet shirt and tie.
While we may be able to trace the
source of the holiday itself, nobody knows for sure why Thai
people delight in dousing each other in cold water on Songkran
day, or why it is apparently even more fun to douse strangers,
especially foreign strangers. What is obvious is that the
practice of throwing water around on one of the hottest days
of the year releases tensions, cooling the head along with the
body. And during this day a visitor has only two choices, 1)
hide in his room or 2)join in the fun and sling a little water
of his own.
Loy Krathong
(Light festival)
Thailand's waterways rivers, klongs, even hotel swimming pools
will be ablaze with dazing lights on the evening of Nov. 14,
when the Kingdom celebrates "Loy Krathong" one of the year's
most-awaited festivals.
The annual festival, also
celebrated in other neighboring countries, is held on the full
moon day of the 12th lunar month. Thais place great importance
in this event and while the best celebrations are said to be
held in Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Chiangmai, the event
and while the best celebrations are said to be held in
Bangkok, Ayutthaya, Sukhothai and Chiangmai, the event is
marked with great funfair all over the Kingdom.
The festival is believed to have
its beginnings at least in Thailand in Sukhothai Province,
north of Bangkok, almost 800 years ago. A stone inscription
from the Sukhothai Period describes an ancient Loy Krathong
festival : "There are four main gates in the city of Sukhothai.
On festive occasions, people jam the city to witness the light
festival in progress. It's as if the city would burst." When
the ancient Sukhothai city was restored to its former splendor
as the Historical Park of Sukhothai, efforts were made to
bring back ancient festivals and their legendary festive
atmosphere. This brought back the light festival of Loy
Krathong. It has remained a major attraction since.
"Loy" means to float, and "krathong" means a leaf cup.
This
moniker seems apt as most floating objects you see during Loy
Krathong nights are flowers formed like cups, if not
artificial petals that look like cups in many angles. It is a
most colorful festival. In most areas where it is celebrated,
you will see Thai women resplendent in colorful attire, hair
festooned with flowers, and gaily-dressed men, also fully
garbed, gather with floats in their hands wherever there's
water.
As the krathongs meander while
making their way downstream, you'll often see little boys swim
to them to retrieve the tiny cargo of coins before releasing
them down the "river of no return". Explanation of the
festival's significance vary. One belief is that as the floats
embark on their journey, they take with it the owner's
misfortunes. Most Thais also believe the floating of the
krathong is a yearly sloughing off of all the sins and
calamities that have befallen a person. On a lighter note,
it's also believed that lovers can forecast the fortune of
their romance by watching their krathong float downstream to
gather.
Krathongs
that remain together into the darkness, promise life-long
partnership. This custom's religious significance is somewhat
debatable, though. Some say Loy Krathong is an act of
remission to the goddess Mae Khongkha, the mother of water.
Western psychologists say it symbolizes the egg's prenatal
consciousness of its journey of the ovary down the fallopian
tube to conception, a legend (for explanation) quite common to
Eastern and Western cultures. The Biblical story of Moses in
the Bulrushes is similar. Whatever its significance, you
shouldn't fail to watch or join in a Loy Krathong festival for
a once in a life time experience. Check out the hotels or your
travel agent for a schedule.
Loy
Krathong Song
Thai
version
English version
Wan Pen
Duan Sip Song
Nam Koh Nong Tem Taling
Rao Tanglai Shai Ying
Sanuk Ganjing Wan Loy Krathong
Loy Loy Krathong
Loy Loy Kratong,
Loy Krathong Gan Laew
Koh Shern Nong Kaew
Ook Ma Ram Wong
Ram Wong Wan Loy Krathong
Ram Wong Wan Loy Krathong
Boon Ja Song Hai Rao Suk Jai
Boon Ja Song Hai Rao Suk Jai
November
full moon shine
Loy Krathong
Loy Krathong
And the water high
In the gold river and the Klong
Loy Loy Krathong
Loy Loy Krathong
Loy Krathong is here
And everybody full of cheer
We're together at the Klong
Each one with his Krathong
As we push away we pray,
We can see a better day
The New Year's Day
The International New Year Day has been adopted. On the first
of January, people offer food to monks at the temple or at a
particular site designated by government offices of private
organizations. In Bangkok, the Phramaane ground and the lawn
in front of the district offices are popular places.
The Traditional New
Year Celebration
This is also called "Trut" celebration. Trut means "to be cut" or
"to end". So this simply indicates that a year has come to the
end, according to the lunar calendar adopted from the Indians. The
ceremony covers the last two days of the old year and the first
day of the new year. The ceremony began during the Sukhothai
period and lasted until the reign of King Rama V. Later, it was
combined with the Songkran festival. Trut is celebrated separately
only in some rural villages.
Like in most ceremonies, people make merit by offering food to
monks and going to listen to a sermon at the temple. The purpose
is to have a good start for a new period in life and to preserve
an old Thai tradition.
The "Sart" Festival "Sart"
is derived from an Indian word meaning autumn or the fall season.
It falls on the end of the tenth lunar month. In India this is the
time for the harvesting of grains and fruit and thus a time to
rejoice. Originally, this was a Brahministic festival but now it
is celebrated in the Buddhist wat, i.e., the main activity
involves the making of merit to monks.
However, the tenth lunar month is not
harvesting time in Thailand. So farmers usually plant a special
type of glutinous rice which can be reaped at this time to make
"flat rice" of "khow mow", a main ingredient in the preparation of
"Krayasart", a type of dessert very similar to granola bar with
peanuts. There are also other types of sweet made from rice. All
these special delicacies for the festival are to be offered first
to monks for merit-making and then enjoyed by the people.
Ceremonies organized by the government Ploughing Ceremony
This ceremony is intended to demonstrate the significance of the
rice farming occupation as well as to boost the morale of farmers
all over the country. During the ceremony the Farming Lord, or
Phraya Raek Na, will plough a piece of land designated on the
Phramane Ground near the Grand Palace to signal the beginning of
the ploughing season. He will also offer and assortment of food to
the cows used in the ceremony. The choice of food made serves as a
basis for the forecast of the amount of rainfalls and the prospect
of the rice harvest. The ceremony, performed now early in
May of every year, is not much different from the one performed in
the old days.
It is only
simplified. The origin of the ceremony certainly is Brahminism.
The Phraya Raek Na at the present time is usually the Permanent
Secretary of the Ministry of Agriculture. Those who attend the
ceremonies include not only Thai and foreign dignitaries but also
farmers, who often try to collect the rice seeds sown on to the
field during the ceremony. They believe that these rice seeds are
sacred and will bring blessing to their fields if they are mixed
with the regular seeds they have themselves prepared for the
season.
Celebration of the Constitution Day The Constitution
Day is the 10th of December, which is the anniversary of the day
King Rama VII granted the First Constitution of Thailand to his
people in 1932.
Royal ceremonies
These are ceremonies which are organized jointly by the government
and the Office of the Royal Household according to tradition which
has been passed on through generations.
Coronation Day
This falls on the 5th of May the anniversary of the day His
Majesty King Bhumibol ascended to the throne. Usually His Majesty
would make merit to monks in the Grand Palace in honor of the
deceased monarchs of the Chakri Dynasty.
His Majesty’s
Birthday Anniversary
This falls on the 5th of December. It is also considered the Thai
National Day
Her Majesty’s Birthday Anniversary
This falls on the 12th of August.
On these auspicious occasion, their Majesties the King and the
Queen would make merit according to the royal tradition.
The Thai people always join in the celebration by organizing
special events and performances to express their love and
gratitude to Their Majesties.
Back
in the provinces huge meals are pre-pared, homes are
fastidiously cleaned, and sacred altars and images
respectfully washed. Family members who are scattered for the
rest of the year by employment or marriage come together to
renew their bonds and exchange gossip. Perhaps the most lovely
rite associated with Songkran is the wai khon gaa ceremony,
where whole neighborhoods will line up to pour water over the
hands of the community's two oldest members, giving and
receiving blessings for the coming year.
punishment
with good humor. It is not uncommon to enter the post office,
bank or some other place of business and be greeted by a
smiling clerk wearing a sopping wet shirt and tie.
This
moniker seems apt as most floating objects you see during Loy
Krathong nights are flowers formed like cups, if not
artificial petals that look like cups in many angles. It is a
most colorful festival. In most areas where it is celebrated,
you will see Thai women resplendent in colorful attire, hair
festooned with flowers, and gaily-dressed men, also fully
garbed, gather with floats in their hands wherever there's
water.
Krathongs
that remain together into the darkness, promise life-long
partnership. This custom's religious significance is somewhat
debatable, though. Some say Loy Krathong is an act of
remission to the goddess Mae Khongkha, the mother of water.
Western psychologists say it symbolizes the egg's prenatal
consciousness of its journey of the ovary down the fallopian
tube to conception, a legend (for explanation) quite common to
Eastern and Western cultures. The Biblical story of Moses in
the Bulrushes is similar. Whatever its significance, you
shouldn't fail to watch or join in a Loy Krathong festival for
a once in a life time experience. Check out the hotels or your
travel agent for a schedule.
