| All about pouring water, 'Songkran'
Regardless of any nation, culture, ethnic group, New Year's Day is always welcomed with full of joy and excitement looking forward to send another great year. Thais also send huge holiday called 'Songkran' to celebrate the New Year's Day in solar calendar which is April 13th to 15th. However since Songkran is the biggest holiday in Thailand, Thais usually enjoy their joyous holiday atmosphere for about 10 days. During the holiday, many various festivals and events are held but the main part is the water fight which it became famous among the foreigners and visit Thai at this season.
First of all, the Sonkran starts with parade and 'Miss Songkran' contest. On 12th of April, Thais clean their houses and temples and cook dishes to prepare for the big holiday. In the afternoon, the parade starts as the symbol of the opening ceremony of Songkran. The parade is composed of the statue of Buddha and boat shaped sculptures carried and marching Thai women wearing their traditional costumes and spray the Jasmine scent water. After the parade, the 'Miss Songkran' contest is held which was originated from the Thai god's seven daughters and the winner gets the honor of being a symbol of the seven daughters.
Next days, the 13 and 14th, the festival is officially started. In these two days, Thais bring their delicious plates to the temple and offer the food to the god and monks. And then children and women take sands and water from the river and build a tower pagoda called 'Chedi' in the temple. They make the outer wall with the mixture of sand and water and they put some coins and leaves inside the Chedi and cover the bottom with yellow and upper with red fabrics. Finally they decorate it with flowers, candles, colored papers and most importantly, pour the flavored water around the Chedi.
On the last day of Sonkran is when the main event starts, the 'water fight'. To participate in this event, first you should bring some kind of materials like water guns, baskets, water balloons as your weapons. Next, you can attack any people in the street with your own weapons and enjoy the coolness in the hot and humid weather, although you should be careful not to cause any damage to public and private facilities. When the water fight is completely finished, that's the end of long holiday.
As some people might have noticed, the most significant tradition during the holiday is pouring flower or herb scented water, meaning wash all the bad away. It seems very unique but it's understandable that how much Thais wanted their New Year to be only filled with hopes and delights. Even though small events or traditions may have little differences among the regions, the meaning of Songkran won't be changed and Thais will continuously pray for their bliss.
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Tuesday, March 24, 2015
201101481 Jean Park/ All about pouring water, 'Songkran'/ Thurs56
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Interesting cultural fact to know about Thailand! Thanks for sharing! Your first paragraph has thesis statement that identifies the process of Songran festival. You included information on food, decorations, and some fun activities they to at the festival. each of your paragraph has different part of process, and it was in a logical sequence because you listed what happens day by day during three festival days. I don't find any particular paragraph that lacks supporting details. On the last paragraph you included additional information about the festival, but emphasized the meaning of the festival.
ReplyDelete201101883 Hyojeong Shim
DeleteAs someone who had no prior knowledge about Thailand culture this was very interesting to read. While your essay was very detailed and informative I felt that yiu could elaborate more one the history behind celebrating this festival! 201202968 임정연
ReplyDeleteAll about pouring water, ‘Songkran’
ReplyDeleteWhat reminds you when thinking about New Year’s Day? The scenery that you’re imagining would be all different based on your own culture. It could be spent with families and friends and hold an uproarious party or go to church or temples and celebrate the day silently. Thais, interestingly, celebrates the New Year’s holiday called ‘Songkran’ in 13th to 15th of April by the solar calendar. Since Songkran is the biggest holiday in Thailand, Thais usually enjoy their joyous atmosphere for about 10 days. During these periods, many various festivals and events are held but the main part is the water fight especially famous among the foreigners.
First of all, the Songkran starts with a parade and ‘Miss Songkran’ contest. On 12th of April, Thais clean their houses and temples and cook dishes to prepare for the big holiday. In the afternoon, the parade starts meaning the opening ceremony of Songkran. The parade is composed of the statues of Buddha and boat shaped sculptures and marching Thai women wearing their traditional costumes and spraying the Jasmine scent water to the audience. After the parade, the ‘Miss Songkran’ contest begins that was originated from the Thai god’s seven daughters and the winner gets the honor of being the symbol of seven daughters.
Next days, the 13 and 14th, the festival is officially started. In these two days, Thais bring their delicious plates to the temple and offer the food to the god and monks. And then children and women take sands and water from the river and build a tower pagoda called ‘Chedi’ in the temple. They make the outer wall with the mixture of sand and water and they put some coins and leaves inside the Chedi and cover the bottom and top with each yellow and red fabric. Finally they decorate it with flowers, candles, colored papers and most importantly, pour the flavored water around the Chedi.
On the last day of Songkran is when the main event starts, the ‘water fight’. To participate in this event, first you should bring some kind of tools such as water guns, baskets, water balloons as your weapons. Next, fill in the tools with scented water and then attack any people in the street, enjoying the coolness in the hot and humid weather. Though, you should be cautious not to cause any damage to public and private facilities. When the water fight is completely finished, that’s the end of the long holiday.
As some people might have noticed, the most significant tradition during Songkran is pouring flower or herb scented water to others. Thais believe that scented water has a compelling power to wash all the evils away. It seems very unique but it’s understandable that how much Thais wanted their New Year to be only filled with hopes and delights. Even though small events or traditions may differ from region to region, the meaning of Songkran won’t be changed and Thais will continuously pray for their bliss.