Songkran

Ready for battle

It's 2560! Happy New Year! When using the official Thai Buddhist calendar, the year 2017 is actually 2560. The calendar begins with the death of the Buddha 543 years before the start of the Christian calendar. It’s also celebrated in April according to sun & star alignment rather than the beginning of the lunar year. This time of year in Thailand is KA-RAY-ZIE!  Picture tens of thousands of men, women, and children roaming the streets armed with squirt guns, water cannons, and buckets of icy cold water searching for their next victim. Crazy, but fun!

Originally, scented water was poured over statues of Buddha for good luck. This water was then saved and gently sprinkled onto loved ones as a blessing. 
Eventually that time-honoured and holy tradition has morphed into filling giant super-soakers full of dirty moat water and blasting it into the faces of complete strangers. The Thais celebrate the coming of the New Year with one great party, when everybody goes into the streets in flowered Aloha shirts armed with plastic water pistols, buckets and other tools for throwing, pouring, shooting and blasting water and white dust. After mixing with the water the white dust becomes a white powder that Thais use for oiling each others’ faces. 

      

There are thousands of people on the streets, loud music is everywhere, people are dancing, everybody is having a good time throwing water on everybody who passes regardless if they are on foot, on scooter, on motorbike, in Tuk-Tuks or in public minibuses called Songtaews (pick-up truck with two rows of benches in the back, used as a taxi). Tuk-tuks and Songtaews don’t have doors or windows therefore they are just like motorbikes, ideal targets for these water attacks. During Songkran, no one is safe from the soaking wrath and wearing swimming googles while riding one of these is a good idea. Songkran is beyond a doubt Thailand’s craziest holiday and the whole country comes to a stand-still for a couple of days while everyone cools off during the hottest month of the year. It is by far the merriest festival I’ve ever been to in all my travels.

For schools that are still in session (regular Thai schools are closed at this time for the summer break) Songkran is observed before the students are let out for the Songkran spring break. No exception at our school; the whole school day before Spring Break was dedicated entirely to the Songkran tradition. The day started off with a presentation by the senior students about the meaning of Songkran, followed by a seminar conducted by a Monk. This man of saffron cloth was amazing. He spoke only in Thai and, although the majority of what he said during his 90 minute presentation escaped all the foreign teachers that make up the school faculty, he managed very well in keeping the attention of the entire student assembly, from the squiggly kindergarten whippersnappers to the always too cool and cell phone addicted senior students. The Monk spoke about gratitude and brought those kids on a roller coaster of emotions, what appeared to be deftly transitioning from sporadic laughter while calling out answers to deep reflection and even tears from the heart. I tell you, this guy was good. 

At the end of his talk, the Monk instructed the students to turn to their teachers and prostrate themselves before us, all in silence while he chanted some Buddhist hymn of thanks and gratitude. Needless to say, this was a very humbling and somewhat awkward experience for we western teachers. Having 200 kids lying face down on the ground in front of us, as a token of humility, submission and adoration is just not something teachers in the western world are accustomed to…at least not where I come from.  The Monk held his captive audience throughout the 90 minutes, probably due to his adept oratorical skills, but also to the cultural and spiritual reverence that all Thai children hold for the order of Buddhist monks. 

Then came the water pouring ceremony, another tender and touching moment for us western teachers, in which all 200 children filed in front of us, the older ones walking on their knees, conveying their best wishes to their teachers by pouring water on them or their palms, thanking us for being their teacher and wishing us a happy new year. We then reciprocated giving them our blessings in return, dipping our hands in the water and brushing one of their cheeks with water, patting some on the head or shoulder, or flicking some water in their faces. 

Thais still hold that water is a pure thing that is able to wash all kinds of evil and misfortune away and bring good luck and happiness with it. They would politely pour a bowl of water on members of the family, their close friends and neighbors. Water would wash off the misfortunes of the past year, thus welcoming the new year with a fresh start.  As Songkran has taken a more festive note, a bowl becomes a bucket, garden hose and water guns, and the spirit of holiday merriment is shared amongst all town residents and tourists alike.

After the solemn and feel-good water pouring ceremony came to an end, we were all ready to roll out the good wet times. All the kids had brought their water guns from home that morning, and we're not talking dinky water pistols here. Some of these water soakers were really impressive and cool looking and these kids were ready and primed for some serious water warfare. Water, lots of water, buckets of water, water pistols, kids, enough said…just wet and wild.

The Principal and his regiment of Grade 2's