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This article is only for people whom don’t like to play water in Songkarn, here’s how to get away with it. The primary concern of people who afraid of water playing is:
- Water used to play is from old city’s moat, it’s not that clean and may cause illness or allergy
- People who got wet all day are more likely to catch a cold or fever
- Some may simply don’t like to play, over-aged or prefer peaceful
- Stay in bunker – live your life in shelter and let’s get something fun to do during the day or you guys could play hard all night and sleep all day long.
- Sealed movement – Get around the town by car but remember avoid the old city, that’s totally gridlocked
- Casing yourself – Rain cloth, umbrella shower cap, and helmet could prevent you from wet but couldn’t prevent people trying to make you wet, and most important you’ll be the target. Anyway, it's ok to get it for fun
- Be commercial – commercial areas such as shopping malls, hypermarkets, supermarkets and local markets inside there’re totally dry but it might be surrounded by people playing
Tip: In front of Kard Suan Kaeo, there is a Starbucks which you can sit there and see people playing around
- Formal protection - Wear very formal cloth, there’s a chance to not get wet if you’re not be in intensive playing area
- Poker face – pretended to be very serious to make people afraid of you and not playing with
People roam the streets with containers of water or water guns, or post themselves at the side of roads with a garden hose and drench each other and passersby. Songkran is a Thai traditional New Year which starts on April 13 every year and lasts for 3 days. Songkran festival on April 13 is Maha Songkran Day or the day to mark the end of the old year, April 14 is Wan Nao which is the day after and April 15 is Wan Thaloeng Sok which the New Year begins. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city usually return home to celebrate the festival. Thus, when the time come, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.
April 12 is Wan Sungkharn Lohng. This is a day for house cleaning and general preparation for the New Year. In the evening it is traditional for Thais to dress up as a signal of the coming new year. In Chiangmai, the Songkran procession is held on this day. This is a parade through Chiangmai comprised of Buddha images and attendants on floats, which are accompanied by minstrels and the town's people. The procession begins at Nawarat Bridge on the Mae Ping River and moves the Thapae Gate before approaching its final destination of Wat Prasingh.
April 13 is Wan Nao. On this day people prepare cooked meals and preserved food for the Buddhist merit-making that takes place on the following day. Activities at Wat Prasingh continue on this day and in the evening local residents go to the banks of the Mae Ping River and gather sand to be deposited in piles topped by flowers in the temples. This practice is the ancient "raising the temple grounds" ritual which was necessary in the old days because then Thai New Year was held at the end of the rainy season in the first month of the old Thai Lunar Calendar.
April 14 is Wan Payawan. On this day a grand new year begins with early morning merit-making at the temples. Preserved and cooked foods, fresh fruit, monks' robes and other offerings are made at the temples. In the home, people do the final cleaning of Buddha images using scented water. Traditionally this is the day that the pouring of water begins. It was once the practice to pour gently, but the fun-loving Thais have transposed this into a relative water free-for-all.
April 15 is Wan Parg-bpee. On this day homage is paid to ancestors, elders and other persons deserving respect because of age of position. This is called 'Rohd Nam Songkran', meaning 'The Pouring of Songkran Water', and the water is sprinkled on the elder persons while uttering wishes of good luck and a happy future.
Live your life freely as you are, here is Chiang Mai
Seam Smien,
And OpenChiangMai team
thanapol@openchiangmai.com
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Travel Guide
