Its been a hot April day in Bangkok, and my wife and I have been taking in the local festivities of the Songkran festival. Somehow we’ve managed to time our arrival, the 13th Of April, with Thai new year. When we arrived at our hotel in Yaowarat road the night before, a very merry (intoxicated) Thai fellow turned a hose on our van and driver. We just thought, its hot and people are cooling down. Yes people were calling down, but the cooling down went on for three days! Observe the gents above with large water pistols………….What is Songkran festival? I hear you say?
Definition “Songkran is a celebration that embraces goodwill, love, compassion, and thankfulness, using water as the means of expression” Lots of water! My definition.
“Songkran is a three-day water fight, where crazy people will use anything that holds water, pistols, buckets, hoses to soak each other, and anyone in their path”
OK! The water festival is non stop fun for many Thai people, and quite a few enthusiastic tourists. You can buy large water propelling instruments every where, if you choose to do so, or not. You are still gonna get wet. If you are in Bangkok during this cooling celebration, bring your smile, and a sense of humour, you are going to need it!
I recommend you prepare to be soaked if you are going to visit places like Khaosan road pictured above. Put on some shorts and a T-shirt, any outfit you are happy to get soaked in. Lucky for me my backpack had a rain cover, and I kept camera, and anything else that needed to remain dry under cover. My passport did get a bit wet at a money changer when two girls decided the best place to hide was behind me! Water can, and will come from any where! As my wife and I rode a Tuk Tuk back from Khaosan rd the traffic came to a brief halt on a busy road.
Just moments, after the video above. Enter man with bucket! who gleefully tipped it over my head!
The Songkran festival, crazy as it is, generates a lot of goodwill, thankfulness, compassion and joy. Lets face it. It is hot, and as long as you are prepared, the random expressions of thankfullness delivered with smiles are fun. There is also another part of the festival which involves having your face smeared with talcum powder which is then wet.
On our last night in Bangkok we’d dodged the merry Thai man with the hose out the front of our hotel, only to be followed by another merry fellow. As he was about to jump me I turned suddenly, and for a moment he stared in shock. I smiled, dropped my arms and said “Common, do it!” he smeared me with talc, and wet me laughing hysterically as he did it. I thanked him in Thai.
The talcum powder represents the past years sins. As you wash it away you are reborn for the new year. At that moment, I felt goodwill, compassion and thankfulness that We’d experienced by chance, the Songkran festival
The festival of water, made me celebrate the #festivaloflife.
#festivaloflife 