It’s finally here. The big one. Thailand’s biggest and most widely celebrated festival of the calendar year. A time when families are reunited. When friends get together in great numbers. When good people who work tirelessly all year round finally take some time off. When the streets are awash with water, though not a drop has fallen from the sky. When locals and visitors alike have their faces covered in a white powdery paste. When even your usual 10-minute walk to the market may take 30+ minutes due to the sheer volume of revelers.
Well, that’s right! It’s Songkran 2024. It’s finally here.
Songkran Water Festival in Buriram, Thailand
This year has been my first experience of the traditional Thai New Year, otherwise known as Songkran. I was out of the country during this period last year, and prior to that, severe restrictions owing to the pandemic meant that I had never had the opportunity to see the festivities in all their glory and color. I was not about to miss it this year.
Readers of my previous blogs may recall that I am based in Buriram City. Though much smaller in size and population than some of the major tourist hotspots in Thailand, the Isaan people are deeply spiritual and treat all their festivals with the utmost reverence. And indeed, they know how to have a good time.
Songkran kicks off on the 13th of April each year, and the 3-day festival marks the start of the traditional Thai New Year. It is, without a doubt, the biggest and most important date on the Thai calendar. When people think of Songkran, they think of water fights, and with good reason. The streets become alive with people throwing water at each other, shooting water guns, buckets, helmets, cups, and whatever they can get their hands on.
Groups of people marauding the streets looking for their next target is a common sight. And it’s fantastic and fun. It really is. You just have to be sure to wear old clothes and sandals, or definitely something you don’t mind potentially getting caked in paste, and go for in. Jump right in. The best way to experience these exuberant days is to embrace it fully for what it is.
Get to Know the Traditions of Songkran in Thailand
Although the water fights have become synonymous with the Songkran festivities, like most things in this wonderful country, they are rooted in tradition. The water is seen as cleansing, and it is actually respectful to pour water on one another as it is seen as a mark of good fortune.
The camaraderie on display and the jovial and pure, uninhibited enjoyment of the occasion led me to conclude that which I have always suspected and these special days in Thailand, these days spent with friends and family and strangers like me, that these days help to combat loneliness and social isolation and thus play a vital role in the shared health of society.
How can one not smile when confronted by an octogenarian in an inflatable pool on the side of the road who proceeds to gleefully squirt you with a water machine gun?
What is the white paste all about? Almost everybody you meet completely covered in this powdery, pasty substance. Again based in tradition, it is seen as good luck and a sign of protection that will serve you well and ward off evil.
Experience An Epic Songkran in Buriram
Although not seen in the photos I have included here, I, too, was blessed with the white paste on many occasions over the Songkran weekend. At times, there can most certainly appear to be a contradiction in terms of how special days and times of the year are celebrated and enjoyed here in Thailand.
I have already mentioned how many aspects of what happens over Songkran are underpinned by traditional beliefs. Superficially, it appears to be one massive, thrill-seeking, almost hedonistic water fight, the detritus of which lay strewn on the city streets and the country backroads long after people have departed for home. I attempted to go to my local street food market on Sunday night, a weekly trip for me that usually takes about 15 minutes.
Add about 60 minutes to that to get a feel for this week’s trip as I dodged and dived past innumerable hordes with water cannon in hand, giddy with excitement, as they eyed who might be next. Basically, everybody was next. I felt like Super Mario or some other old-school computer game character jumping over ubiquitous hazards and snaking around revelers.
I want to talk about the tradition at the heart of the world’s biggest Water Festival. The word Songkran itself translates as ‘astrological passage,’ signifying change or a transformation of sorts. This may also be linked to the forthcoming wet season and the annual rains, as April is generally Thailand’s hottest month and the end of the dry season. As with all celebrations here merit making remains an integral part of the occasion. This usually takes place in the morning, with people visiting their local temples to make offerings to the monks there.
On the first day, many people will also clean their homes, symbolizing that they are ridding themselves of bad luck from the previous year in preparation for the Thai New Year. People also pay respect to their family elders, be they parents or grandparents, and in return, are offered blessings by those same elders, another important traditional aspect of the festival. Many people travel far and wide during this time, and those who have moved to larger cities make the pilgrimage home to be with their families. Family and friends are at the epicentre of the holiday, a theme very much repeated in Thai culture and society.
Songkran in Thailand is More Than A Water Festival
Last December, UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) officially designated Songkran as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. What this recognition means is that Songkran has been deemed to be intrinsic to the Thai community and that its cultural significance is as important as ever.
It helps to maintain an identity here in Thailand in the face of ever-growing globalization. It must be said that Songkran is an incredibly inclusive event where locals and foreigners alike, such as myself, gather together and enjoy each other’s company as we do all that I have mentioned previously in this blog. Gaining Intangible Cultural Heritage status means that Songkran joins a wide and varied list worldwide that includes ceramic arts in Uzbekistan, reggae music of Jamaica, and Kumbh Mela in India.
I’m finishing this blog entry on Tuesday, 16th April, in the immediate aftermath of Songkran 2024. Around the country, the water will soon drain away, and the last of the revelers will return home; all left behind is a pretty big cleanup for the sanitation workers, especially in the hotspots of Pattaya, Phuket, and the islands of Thailand. Plastic bags, bottles, and other rubbish left behind must be swiftly collected as the unforgiving 40-degree heat will soon make the smell unpalatable. The street dogs will scavenge as is their wont.
Here in Buriram, the festival has now largely drawn a close. The streets have returned to relative normality, and the vendors have taken up position as before. I have been afforded many opportunities to reflect during my time in Thailand. My first experience of Songkran has provided me with yet another. Rejuvenation is all important as the old is cast aside and we enter the new year. One of the reasons I came to Thailand in the first place is to experience a new culture, gain new perspectives, and go deeper when exploring the nuances of Thai society.
I have seen now how important these past few days are to ordinary people, the people I see on a daily basis in the supermarkets, coffee shops, and restaurants. Frankly, I feel honoured to have been able to witness these moments of joy, unadulterated happiness, and, yes, utter madness at times. It’s a great way to make you feel alive and the perfect warm-up for us teachers as the new term fast approaches.
A New Era Begins with BFITS Thailand 
So Songkran is over for another year, and we must now turn our attention to all that is on the horizon. I enjoyed my first taste of this magical festival, and I hope to see many more in the future. Witnessing the exuberance of Buriram, a relatively small city, makes me wonder how extreme the major hubs of Thailand must be. In the future, I am sure I will discover that for myself. For now, I have great memories of these past few days to keep with me.
If any colleagues have some stories about Songkran in other parts of Thailand, don’t hesitate to get in touch with me on our BFITS Thailand internal work email system. I’d love to hear from you. You’ll find me under Chris Whearty.
Sawadee pee mai.
