Songkran has been celebrated as New Year's Day in the Thai
calendar since ancient times. Its origins lay buried in myth, but today
Songkran invokes timeless traditions steeped in reverence and introspection. It
also revels in downright waterlogged fun.
The word ‘Songkran’ is from the Sanskrit word ‘saṃkrānti,’ literally
‘astrological passage.’ In Pali, the language of the Buddha, saṃkrānti is
translated as ‘sankhara,’ and refers to the movement of the sun from one sign
of the zodiac to another. In Thai, sankhara became songkran, which, over time,
came to refer only to the sun’s entering the sign of Aries in April, the month
of modern Songkran.
In 1940, January 1 became the first day of the official year,
but the traditional four-day Songkran Festival is still celebrated as a
national holiday in Thailand.
The mythical origin of Songkran revolves around the god Kabilla
Phrom, who presented three riddles to a precocious boy scholar named Thammabal
Kumara. Kabilla Phrom liked gambling and bet his head against the boy’s he
could not answer three riddles. The questions were hard, and Thammabal Kumara would
have lost the wager but for his understanding of bird speech. Having overhead
two eagles talking about the bet, he gleaned the answers, forcing Kabilla Phrom
to relinquish his head. The head, however, was a dangerous and powerful talisman,
and was therefore sequestered in a cave on Mount Meru. At the beginning of each
year, one of the god’s seven daughters (Nang Songkran) takes a turn carrying it
in a procession around the mountain.
The four days of the Festival each have their own name and
agenda:
• Wan Sangkhan Lohng. A day for traditional spring-cleaning.
• Wan Nao. People prepare food to be used the next day. Also,
in many temples throughout Thailand people bring sand to symbolically replace
the sand that they have carried away on their sandals throughout the year. The
sand is formed into pagodas called ‘phra chedis sai,’ which are decorated with
colorful flags. This tradition began as part of the cleansing rituals where
new, clean sand was added to the floor of the temple once a year.
• Wan Payawan. This is the first day of the New Year and
people gather at the Wat in the early morning to participate in “merit-making,”
offering the food prepared the previous day, as well as fruit, new robes, and
other goods to the monks.
• Wan Park Bpee. On this day people pay respect to their
ancestors, elders, and those worthy of respect due to age or position. In a
ceremony called ‘rod nam dam hua,’ lustral water scented with spices, dried
flowers, or perfume is poured over the hands of the individuals being paid
respect. The honorees, in turn, bless the participants in the ceremony.
The ceremonies and rituals of Songkran express four essential
cultural ideals. The first is demonstrating gratitude toward individuals who
have done good deeds, who are worthy of respect and recognition. The second ideal
is showing loyalty to ancestors through merit-making, which includes providing
food, gifts and alms to Buddhist monks, releasing birds and fish into the wild,
and other acts of respect. The third is showing awareness of one’s
responsibilities towards family and home through traditional spring cleaning. The
fourth ideal is demonstrating respect for the Buddha’s teachings and how they
infuse the relationship between the temple and the community.
Though Songkran is a time for reflection and renewal, it is
also, for good reason, known as the Water Festival. Across Thailand, for four
days, thousands of people armed with water cannons, hoses, and buckets have one
goal as they take to the streets: drench everyone around them as thoroughly as
possible.
The custom can be traced to pre-Buddhist spring festivals
where throwing water was meant to elicit heavy rains. This behavior imitated
the Nagas, mythical serpents that brought rain by spouting sea water; the more
they spouted, the more rain there would be. With the advent of Buddhism, water’s
ritual role moved to the annual cleansing of the Buddhas. The statues were often
carried in parades where crowds showered the Buddhas with water. Later, the
custom emerged sprinkling scented water on one’s friends, wishing them Sawasdee
Pee Mai (Happy New Year!). Thailand, however, is hot in April, and good-natured
sprinkling eventually became the outright no-holds-barred water-soaked event of
today.
The nationwide water fighting inevitably brings out bad
behavior, though, including public intoxication, and recklessness. During the
"seven dangerous days" of the Songkran festivities in Thailand in
2016, from April 11 through 17, 442 persons died and 3,656 were injured on the
road. Many excited youngsters start dousing passing motorists (who mostly ride
scooters!) two weeks before the festival.
This year, Wat Buddhanusorn in Fremont is celebrating
Songkran on April 15 and 16. Both days’ celebrations will feature Buddhist
services, offerings of food to the monks, and alms-giving. Fish will be
released on Saturday at Quarry Lake, and on Sunday, birds will be released at the
Wat. Director of Educational programming, Tim Tararug “grew up at the Wat,” and
says that unlike the wild water parties of Bangkok, the festivities at Wat
Buddhanusorn are “much more traditional,” and have little to do with the “Mardi
Gras partying” widely associated with Songkran in Thailand. That isn’t to say
there won’t be a little watering of the participants; attendees should prepare to
get wet Sunday afternoon. If you participate in the water festival, be sure to
wish one another ‘Sawasdee Pee Mai,’ then get ready to soak and be soaked!
Songkran Festival
Saturday, Apr. 15
10 a.m. Buddhist service and Alms Giving
11 a.m. Meal for monks and public; music and dance
1:30 p.m. Fish release at Quarry Lakes Park
Sunday, Apr. 16
10 a.m. Buddhist service and Alms Giving
11 a.m. Meal for monks and public; bird release ceremony
2 p.m. Traditional “Watering” of Buddha image; music and
dance
Wat Buddhanusorn
36054 Niles Blvd, Fremont
Free
510-790-2296
http://www.watbuddha.org/songkran-festival/
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