SONGKRAN FESTIVAL : THAI NEW YEAR

By Asian Restaurant News

The origins of Songkran combine Buddhist belief, ancient astrology and the solar calendar. Songkran, which means "move" or "change place," is the day when the sun shifts its position in the zodiac, beginning a new astrological year. In ancient times, the traditional Thai New Year was celebrated as a moveable feast, set to occur as the sun moved into the Aries portion of the zodiac. However, in modern times, the festival is fixed as April 13. Although the Thai people officially change their New Year to January 1 in 1940 to coincide with the Western business world, the traditional Songkran Festival is still celebrated as a national holiday.

The Songkran festival consists of four days of celebration. April 13, also known as Maha Songkran, is the day that marks the end of the old year. April 14 is Wan Nao, which is the day between the end of the old year and the beginning of the New Year, when food is prepared for the temples. The foods served at traditional Songkran festivals depend on the part of Thailand you visit. Pad Thai, stir-fried rice and chili, garnished with crushed peanuts and coriander; gaeng kiew wahn gai, chicken with green curry; krayasad, a mixture of puffed rice, oats, peanuts and noodles sweetened with palm sugar and coconut syrup; kanom tom, sticky rice and mung bean balls; and kanom krok, coconut rice pancakes, are a few of the more universal Thai foods enjoyed during the Songkran festival.
April 15 is Wan Payawan, which is the official day that the New Year begins. Wan Payawan is celebrated by visiting the local temple and presenting offerings to the monks, which can include preserved foods, cooked dishes, fresh fruit and new robes. On this day, people cleanse the Buddha images in their homes and in the temples with jasmine-scented water. Wan Parg-bpee is the last day of Songkran, when young people sprinkle scented water on the heads of the elders as a sign of respect. People bring sand to the temples to symbolically replace the sand that they have carried away on their sandals throughout the year. People also build sand piles decorated with colorful flags on the temple grounds, which represent personal pagodas, called phra chedis sai, as part of the merit-making ritual.
The Songkran tradition is an important custom for the Thai community, society and religions. It provides the opportunity for families to gather together to express respect to the elders by sprinkling scented water onto their hands and presenting them with gifts this includes making merits and dedicating the result to their ancestors. In return, the elders give blessings of good luck and prosperity. Songkran helps to create unity in the community through such things as jointly acquiring merits, meeting each other and enjoying the entertaining events. For the society, Songkran creates concern about the environment, with cooperation in cleaning houses, temples, public places and official buildings. Thais show their value of the religion by means of merits acquisition, offering alms to monks, Dhamma Practice, listening to sermons and bathing the monks. After performing the bathing rite for Buddha images and the monks, celebrants both young and old joyfully splash water on each other. Songkran is also known as the "Water Festival," as people believe that water will wash away bad luck. Water runs deep in the Thai New Year traditions, as both a symbol of cleansing and as a symbol of renewal. Although we tend to recognize the throwing of large amounts of water as the essence of the Songkran festivities, it has always been the more delicate water- splashing that represents the gentle nature of Songkran and the Thai New Year.
	There is also the ritual of the tying of strings, in which one ties strings around the wrists of others, expressing good wishes for the New Year. When one person ties strings to another's wrist, it is a way to show appreciation to others. While tying the strings, the person recites short prayers of blessing that are spoken especially for that individual. The strings are to be left on until they fall off of their own accord. Along with the water-sprinkling, water- splashing and string-tying rites, you may also encounter a person with a small silver bowl filled with a white powder or paste. This is one of the oldest Songkran traditions; the white paste is a sign of protection to ward off evil. The person with the white paste is often older, and applies the paste to the face, neck and torso of others. One is expected to leave this paste on until it washes off on its own.
The Songkran Festival shares some similarities with the Holi Festival in India, which is celebrated around a month before. One custom that Songkran shares with Holi is the releasing of smal fish back to the rivers and steams. In Thailand, small birds may also be released from cages as part of the festivities. While the throwing of colored water marks Holi, the Songkran Festival involves throwing clear water although some add colored powders and scents to the water in playful "water wars." This tradition traces back to the pre-Buddist rituals of spring festivals where the throwing of water was meant as a symbol of luck to bring good rain for the crops.