Thailand's Grand Songkran Celebration

CEBU, Philippines - When visiting Bangkok, Thailand’s capital city, you never know what to expect. It

displays constant change and development while preserving its heritage, customs and traditions. Its scenic attractions, historical landmarks, cultural treasures and culinary delights are renowned. And it is no secret that Thailand  is a shopper’s paradise.

Our recent trip to Bangkok  on the invitation of the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) was to partake of another great experience, the  Songkran Splendours Festival. Prior to the start of the festivities we attended a conference on Thailand Eco-tourism at the Shangri-La Hotel hosted by the Thai Tourism Industry.

Songkran, the biggest and most important festival has traditionally been celebrated as the Thai New Year for many centuries. While popularly known for its water-splashing street parties, Songkran, which means “move into” has its roots in the Sanskrit language. The meaningful elements of Songkran are expressed through time honored ceremonies and rituals that reflect both the essence of its people, as well as local practices and beliefs.

This year’s festival as witnessed by over 300 top media and travel specialists from around the globe was quite special as it also honored the auspicious occasion of His Majesty the King’s, 84th birthday.

During the week –long activities, most of the community go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. Our group went  to Wat Pho, a first grade royal monastery, regarded as the most important one during the reign of King Rama 1 of the Chakri Dynasty.

There are 16 sheltered gates to enter the sacred quarter with Chinese rock giants standing on both sides as guardians. We entered the Vihara (monastery) of the Reclining Buddha built in 1688 and considered the largest and most beautiful piece of fine arts of the Buddha image in a reclining position. The statue made of bricks gilded with gold leaves is 46 meters long with the dimension at the face of 15 meters high. The soles of the statue’s feet are inlaid with mother-of-pearl showing the 108 auspicious signs of the Buddha portraying natural scenes of both Chinese and Indian influences.

By the rock gardens around the monastery  are several Buddha images in various shapes and sizes .They are bathed by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance .It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year.  The young generation also pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a sign of respect while seeking their blessings.

In many cities, Buddha images from all over the monasteries are paraded through the streets to enable the bystanders to toss water at them. In ancient times, old folks were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel as a sign of respect for the New Year.

After the rituals we crossed over to the Nagaraphirom Park  for cocktails and authentic Thai dinner  under the stars.

Thai cuisine has a lot of flavors, colors and textures designed to appeal to both the palate and eyes. Almost all the food is cooked with fresh vegetables, poultry, pork and some beef. A Thai meal usually with rice offers a combination of flavors, sweet and sour, salty and sometimes bitter. Thais have a legendary love of chilli and it is the most prevalent flavor in their cuisine. They believe chillies cool the body, stimulate the appetite  and bring balance and harmony to their food.

We likewise experienced a classic Thai entertainment which is mainly dance drama symbolic of Thai character. The main style of dance is Khon, a masked drama where the performers all magnificently costumed, use graceful body and hand movements to express both emotions and action in the narration of the story. A great deal of symbolism is displayed in beautifully executed finger and hand movements. Classical music accompanies the mute performance, which in their movement present an unforgettable spectacle.

The following day we visited the Vimanmek Teak Museum, built in 1901 as a summer retreat of King Rama V and is  the world’s largest golden teak building. What is simply amazing is the fact that this L-shaped, three storey structure although European in style was constructed according to traditional building methods, without the use of  a single metal nail.

This private museum houses the royal family’s memorabilia, photographs, handicrafts and personal art of King Rama V. A fabulous collection of Chinese blue and white porcelain from the Ming dynasty  is on display as well as European porcelain which indicates the spread of western culture into the Thai way of life.

Few destinations are without shopping and Bangkok  is simply one of the best in Asia. The  department stores can be as cheap as markets these days. Top buys include clothes, traditional crafts, jewelry, electrical goods and yes fake brand name watches and designer labels.

This year’s Songkran celebration  underscores the importance of this traditional festival in Thai culture and reinforces the long standing reputation of a fun loving, easy going and friendly people who are more than happy to welcome tourists in their local festivities.