The human beings love to
learn and to experience new things. Nowadays, customs and
ways of life of people become an important tourism
resource. In the age of globalization, high-speed
communication is a supporting factor for those who love to
travel. Each year, thousands of foreign visitors celebrate
and join major festivals in different parts of the world.
The activities in Songkran
Festival and Loi Krathong and Candle Festival are
participated by foreign visitors with no effect caused to
the main idea of the festival. The Tourism Authority of
Thailand (TAT) plans to promote both
activitiesinternationally as "The Festival of the World",
maintaining the balances between cultural preservation and
tourism promotion. Foreign visitors are able to learn
local customs of each region and understand more on ways
of life of each community. The vision of the Tourism
Authority of Thailand in the years 2002 - 2006 is to
emphasize on sustainable tourism, Thai ways of life and
international standard in terms of economic, social and
environment.
The Songkran Festival
The word "Songkran" derives from Sanskrit language,
meaning to pass or to move, It corresponds to the solar
calendar,
adopting the time when the Sun moves past twelve zodiacs
composing of Aries, Taurus, Gemini, Cancer, Leo, Virgo,
Libra,Scorpio, Sagittarius, Capricorn, Aquarius and
Pisces. An orbit of each zodiac takes 30 days, which means
one year for twelve zodiacs. The counting system,
influenced by India, is used in the countries of Southeast
Asia such as Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. The
13th of April is "Maha Songkran Day" or New Year's Day. It
is the time when the Sun moves from Pisces into Aries and
the Earth moves past the Sun at right angles, making
daytime and nighttime equally long.
Songkran Day is the day to make merit for three full
days; Maha Songkran Day or the end of old year (13th of
April), Wan
Klang or Wan Nao or preparation day (14th of April) and
New Year's Day or Wan Taleung Sok (15th of April).
Legend of Songkran Goddesses
Songkran Goddesses are named differently depending on
the day Songkran Festival falls on each year. Songkran
Goddess of Sunday is Tungsa, Monday is Koraka, Tuesday is
Raksos, Wednesday is Mondha, Thursday is Kirinee,
Friday is Kimina and Saturday is Mahotorn. The seven
goddesses are the daughters of Tao Maha Songkran or King
Kabillabrama. They have responsibility to look after the
head of their father which is placed on Wanfah pedestal.
King Kabillabrama was beheaded, as he could not give the
correct answer to Dhamma Kumar's question. Before his
death, the King asked his seven daughters who are angels
in the heaven to put his head on Wanfah pedestal as it is
the origin of heat. If his head is placed on the earth,
the fire would occur, in the air there would be no rain,
in the ocean the water would get dry. The seven daughters
thus take turn holding their father's head, each for a
period of one year.
Value and Importance
The Songkran Festival is the festival to celebrate
Thai New Year since an ancient time. The festival
represents the day ofcaring, love and binding among
family, community and religion. The members of the family
have a chance to stay together and show their gratitude
towards the elders. The young calls upon the elders and
pour water over their hands asking for blessing. In
addition, the activities are created to construct unity in
the community, such as making merit, giving food to monks,
laying sand stupas, splashing water at one another for
joy. The sense of binding among members of the same
community, the sense of caring public asset as well as
preserving environment helps keep the living places,
Buddhist monasteries and buildings clean.
Activities to be preserved and
promoted
There are various activities to be preserved and promoted
in the Songkran Festival, which are;
- The wearing of new clothes to pay respect to the elders.
- The cleaning of living places, nearby compounds in the
community and Buddhist monasteries as place for merit
making.
- Offering food to monks in the morning, or cooking food
for monks to dedicate the merit to the late ancestors.
- The laying of sand stupas. Sand is brought to the
monastery compounds and sand stupas are laid in forms of
stupas or
animals, decorated with colorful flags, incense and
flowers to worship the Lord Buddha. Later, the sand is
used in construction purpose and other public work.
- Making charity by setting free fish and birds, listening
to sermons and practicing the five precepts.
- Making merits for and devoting merits to the late
elders.
- Bathing the Buddha image with scented perfume, floating
with jasmine.
- Bathing the monks and novices with clean water and
offering robes to them.
- Pouring water onto the elders' hands by using clean
water or water mixed with scented perfume, floating with
jasmine.
- Splashing water onto one another with clean water in
polite manner, violating no rights and liberty of the
others.
- Celebrating the festival with local entertainment.
Nowadays, the Songkran festival is celebrated with
inappropriate activities, causing damages to the root of
culture and to people's lives and properties. The
preventive measures need to be imposed for the following
activities.
1. Splashing water at one another violently by using water
gun, using dirty water or other rotten liquid, throwing
ice bag and causing others hurt.
2. Putting powder on ladies' faces, or any other acts with
an intention to seduce the women such as fondling women's
faces, chests and hips.
3. The Songkran Beauty Queen contest or other
inappropriate contests, dressed in swimming suit.
Things to Do
1. To educate people with correct understanding on value
and core of the festival as well as appropriate
activities.
2. To promote the learning of festival both formal and
non-formal educational system as well as self-study
education.
Unique Characteristics of the
Songkran Festival in Each Locality
Songkran Festival in the North
Songkran is the ancient Thai New Year of Lanna people.
April 13th or Wan Sangkan Long means the old year passes
by and it is day when an era is changed. In the early
morning of the day, firecrackers are set off to drive away
all bad luck from the previous year. The locals clean
their houses, bathe, wash their hair, wear new clothes and
visit certain places or
"New Year's Visit". Today is the day to begin the splash
of water at one another. The next day, April 14th, is
called Wan Nao or Wan Da (preparation day). It is a day to
prepare necessities for merit making. In the afternoon,
sand is brought from the river to the monastery compounds
nearby the house and sand stupas are laid as a form of
worship to the Lord Buddha, elaborately decorated with
colorful flags. Splashing water at one another continues
for the second day. The third day, April 15th, is called
Wan Phaya Wan or Wan Taleung Sok, The food and offerings
are brought to the monasteries to make merit to the elders
and the late ancestors. This is called Tan Kan Kao. After
that people use branches and sticks to prop up the Sri
Maha Bodhi tree, free birds and fish and bathe Buddha
images. Moreover, the young pay respect to the elders by
pouring water onto the elders' hands (Rot Nam Dam Hua),
asking for forgiveness of bad deeds in the past. Rot Nam
Dam Hua continues until Wan Pak Pee. The day will have Rot
Nam Dam Hua procession dressed in native costume. The
flowers are beautifully arranged in the form of a bush,
headed by traditional dance to pour water onto respected
monks and high-ranking government officials. Today there
are Dam Hua Khu or to bathe the stupas that contains the
ashes of their ancestors, which is considered unique
culture of the North. It is the deed of asking for
forgiveness, to pay respect to each other with sincerity
and the unity in the group. The famous Songkran festival
of the North is the Songkran Festival in Chiang Mai.
Songkran Festival in the
Northeast
The Northeast or I-San of Thailand has got social
etiquette called "Heat Sib Song" or twelve traditions
which mostly concerned with making merits in Buddhism.
Duan Ha or the fifth lunar month is when Songkran takes
place on 13th, 14th and 15th of April. The activities in
each area might have slight differences in certain points.
The main activity is to bathe the Buddha image in the
monastery's hall for sermons or in bathing chamber. The
splashing of water at one another is also practiced. After
the Songkran Festival, some villages parade flower
procession to the monastery. At night, the activities
involves merit making, listening to sermons for the
celebration of flower tree which later will be taken to
other villages. The host village will prepare food for
visitors to show unity among the group. However, nowadays,
the practice becomes lesser.
The famous Songkran Festival in the Northeast is the
Songkran Festival in Nong Khai Province. The bathing of
Luang Phor Pra Sai, the sacred Buddha image respected by
the Thai and Lao people. Apart from this, there is the
celebration along the Maekhong River on the riverbanks of
Thailand and Laos as Lao people also celebrate this
festival.
Songkran Festival in the Central
Plain
The Songkran Festival is the festival to celebrate
Thai New Year for three days, 13th, 14th and 15th of
April. The activities include making merit, offering food
to monks, set free birds and fish, bathing the Buddha
image, laying sand stupas, the procession of Songkran
Beauty Queen and splashing water at one another. The
famous Songkran Festivals of the Central
Plain includethe Songkran Festival in Bangkok on Khao San
Road, Banglampoo, Sanam Luang, Wat Mahatat and Wat Pho.
the Songkran Festival in Phra Nakorn Si Ayutthaya at Kum
Khun Phan (Residence of Khun Phan) in the compound of Phra
Nakorn Si Ayutthaya Historical Park, with an atmosphere of
ancient Songkran. In addition, there is Phra Pra Daeng
Songkran Festival in Samut Prakarn which is the tradition
of the people of Thai - Mon. The activities are slightly
different from other areas, such as bird parade and fish
parade. The parade is joined by the Songkran Beauty Queen,
dressed in a costume
based on the Songkran legend, carrying with birds and fish
to be set free. The dry-cooked rice in cool water and food
are carried to the monasteries since early morning by
young ladies. Saba game is still extant while Phra Pra
Daeng people dressed in traditional costume.
Songkran Festival in the South
The Songkran Festival is the festival to celebrate
Thai New Year by people in the South for three days, 13th,
14th and 15th of April. The activities include making
merit, offering food to monks, set free birds and fish,
bathing the Buddha image, laying sand stupas, the
procession of Songkran Beauty Queen and splashing water
onto one another. The famous Songkran
Festivals of the South take place at Hat Yai Municipality
Park, Had Yai District and at Thai Pavilion, Muang
District, Songkhla. The festival starts from 6th - 15th
April and it is participated by tourists from Malaysia and
Singapore. Moreover, there is the Songkran Festival in
Nakhon Si Thammarat and the activities include the bathing
of Phra Buddha Si-Hing,offering food to monks at the City
Playground and the procession of Songkran Beauty Queen.
