Different cultures around the world celebrate the passing of a new year with a multitude of traditions. Some shoot off fireworks, some eat grapes, and some drink champagne. What do the people in Thailand, and many other countries in Southeast Asia, do to celebrate? They throw water on family, friends, and strangers alike! Jon and I had a rather low-key New Year’s celebration in Arequipa, so by the time we got to Thailand, we were ready to participate in the lively event.
Thai New Year, or Songkran, occurs on April 13 but the celebrations can continue for up to a week’s time. The word “Songkran” comes from a Sanskrit word that means transformation or change. To symbolize this, water is used to represent purification and the washing away of one’s sins and bad luck. While the more reserved and subdued simply use water to wash the hands of a loved one, the younger and rowdier crowd has turned this symbolic symbol into a free-for-all water fight.
People were lined up along the street to douse pedestrians, tuk-tuks, scooters, and cars with water.
The cities of Bangkok and Chiang Mai are known for their huge Songkran celebrations, lasting all week and turning the streets of the cities into a wild watery party. Although we could have joined in the fun in either of these cities, we elected to spend Songkran on the quieter island of Koh Lanta, thus giving us a few days of relaxation on the beach accompanied by one afternoon of New Year celebrations.
Starting in the morning, we saw people of all ages walking the street (singular, since there’s one main street that extends the entire length of the island) armed with water guns and buckets. By noon, Jon and I were dressed in clothes appropriate to get dirty and wet and were ready to join the revelries. Hailing a tuk-tuk, we made our way to the main city at the northern tip of the island, Saladan. Vehicles were not exempt from the festivities and received splashes of water on all occupants while driving down the road. We were deposited just south of the crowd of locals and foreigners alike who had taken up positions on either side of the street, not allowing anyone to pass without getting soaked. Jon picked out a cheap water gun from a street vendor, and armed with some water, we found positions in front of a dive center. They had placed a pool, 3’ by 8’ and about 3’ deep, filled with water, in front of their building. I found a plastic bowl that had been abandoned and now that we were armed, we started in on the fun. Within minutes (probably more like seconds), we had been soaked by others in the crowd and took our turns throwing water on the people walking and driving past.
Jon found people of all ages along our walk to exchange water with!
The temperature was hovering near 40°C (approximately 104°F), so the water felt good on our hot skin. I stopped a couple times to take breaks in the shade and drink some water, but Jon spent nearly four hours out in the sun. Eventually, the pool was emptied of its water so we knew it was time to go. We had spent hours shooting water at passersby and were ready for a break. Soaking wet, we hailed a tuk-tuk to drive us back to our guesthouse where we showered, dried off, and hung our clothes to dry. By the time dinner rolled around, the streets were quiet once again and things were back to business as usual on the island.
As we reflected on the day, we felt lucky that we could participate in such an iconic celebration alongside Thais and visitors alike. While being in a bigger city would have been memorable in its own way, we were happy that we selected a smaller island to pass the holiday. Koh Lanta provided the right amount of fun and festivity while keeping friendly and in control of the small crowd.
We were armed with a bucket and watergun for the Songkran celebrations!