Songkran

This weekend, Experience Culture will be hosting an event to celebrate Songkran, or the Thai Water Festival. Songkran is a national holiday in Thailand which celebrates the Thai New Year. It is a festivity filled with fun and mischief: what better way to cool off on a sweltering summer day than playfully dousing your friends with water?

Picture via wimbify.org

It is laughter, splashing, and general mayhem while also a time for family, bringing the people of Thailand together. In fact, some roadways of Bangkok are cleared from traffic so celebrants can flock the streets and participate in the massive water gun fights. As a celebration for the New Year, this festival is meant to symbolize new beginnings and rebirth. It is a call for unity as well; people return home to their loved ones every year for this major holiday.

The water itself is also symbolic. When one is splashed in water, it represents the washing away of the previous year’s misfortunes for a fresh slate. Younger people will also pour water on their elders’ hands as a sign of veneration.

Picture via chaingmaiplaces.com

Typically, Songkran is celebrated from April 13 to April 15. We realize we are a little bit late, but Songkran also represents the beginning of summer. For us, with finals finally behind us and an endless amount of opportunities on our horizon, what better way to mark the beginning of our summer than with Songkran?

Mei Zhang