The secret to laughing even when you're soaked

 

 

◎ Photography & Text / Stephen Tsai Coordinated by / Tourism Authority of Thailand

“What? Getting a whole basin of water splashed in your face while walking down the street — not only can’t you get angry, you’re supposed to smile about it too!!!” Pretty much the only people in the world with such an amazingly good temper are the Thais.

In fact, that’s not the case. If you go to Thailand at any random time and dare to splash a random passerby with a cup of water, chances are you’ll still get beaten up by a crowd — remember, randomly splashing water on people is just asking for trouble. You can only go wild with the splashing during special times and in special places!! And the people who get splashed will actually thank you for your blessings too.

The Songkran Festival (The Songkran Festival), locally known as Songkran in Thailand, is equivalent to the Thai Lunar New Year. Other regions such as Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Xishuangbanna also still maintain the tradition of celebrating this lunar new year.

The meaning of splashing water isn’t just for fun. Originally, the purpose of this ceremony was to pay respects to the Buddha. In typical Thai households, it’s also an important time for family gatherings, where family members bless each other through a simple water-splashing ritual. However, at some point, the simple act of sprinkling water for purification evolved into full-on “water fights.” But it just so happens that this is also the hottest time of the year in Thailand, so most people don’t mind, and thus water fights became a street-wide activity. Just think — there’s probably no other place in the world where you can safely walk down the street, splash water around, and not get “retaliated” against. No wonder even foreigners love Thailand’s Songkran Festival so much.

Every year, major cities across Thailand host large-scale Songkran Festival events. In the early days, Bangkok was the most lively spot, but in recent years, Chiang Mai’s Songkran Festival in northern Thailand has also gradually made a name for itself. Aside from being held around the ancient ruins of Chiang Mai (there probably aren’t many events in the world that can be held within ancient heritage sites), Chiang Mai itself is also a beautiful place with pleasant weather (the air is fresh — even Teresa Teng loved it), and the nightlife in Chiang Mai is vibrant. You won’t be bored at night either, making it the perfect leisure destination in addition to joining the festivities.

Wet activities for all ages and genders

The Songkran Festival activities are for everyone, regardless of age or gender. As long as you’re not sick and wearing light clothing, you can easily join in. The standard outfit is a T-shirt + shorts + flip-flops. For girls, you might want to consider clothes that won’t become see-through when wet — otherwise... When splashing water on others, there are a few things to keep in mind: don’t splash directly at people’s faces, especially innocent passersby on motorcycles, as it can easily cause traffic accidents...

Also, don’t splash too hard (you might end up hurting someone internally and get served with a court summons). Lastly, don’t think you can get through it without getting wet — basically, the moment you cross the bridge over the Mae Ping River where the Songkran event is happening, the “rain” falling from the sky (actually from water guns) will immediately soak you. If you’re foolish enough to try using an umbrella at that point, others might splash even more water on you.