There was no doubt about where I was going to spend the Thai new year this year. I booked my ticket to Chiang Mai back in February. Don't laugh at me.
For all of you who are not enlightened of this glorious holiday, let me fill you in.
Songkran Festival,
also known as the water festival, is Thailands most celebrated festival. It starts April 13 and lasts between 3 and 10 days, depending on where you are in Thailand. The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit meaning the beginning of a new Solar Year. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing. It is also supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner.
During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the older people.
...That answers a lot of questions to those of you who were confused about your clothes being bathed in weird colors and scents haha.
Most importantly, Thai people celebrate this holiday to have a good time which I certainly noticed curing my time in Chiangmai while taking part in Songkran festivites. Needless to say, I had to spend quite a bit of money doing laundry throughout the week, it was totally worth it :]
I am always opening my arms to the cultural aspects of this country and with that being said, Sonkgran Festival takes the cake. My favorite holiday hands down
Introducing Songkran Festival, Thai New Year 2554:
To see more of my photographs from Chiangmai and Songkran Festival visit my album on Flickr.
The first day I arrived in Chiang Mai I was taken straight from the drop off to a place called Nice Place Travel and Tour. They raved about their pool (oh the simplicity in Thailand) and how cheap their rooms were, but also the opportunities to trek up north to a place called Pai. A few friends of mine from school had mentioned they were making a stop in Pai before reaching Chiang Mai to trek their as well, so I figure it would be a great opportunity to get lost in the jungle and waste away for a few days before getting lost in the insanity that awaited me when I got back. That's right, the Thai new year known as Sonkgran Festival. I booked my trip for two days on the following Monday so I could spend the weekend attending the first up and coming Chiang Mai Beach Festival. I actually ended up getting to the music festival pretty early so I didn't have to pay for my ticket, which was very lucky seeing as my tuk-tuk ride to lake Huey Tung Tao where it was held cost me 200 baht from Chiangmai. I ended up meeting MC Trix, the host of the festival and a few of the other staff members who I then helped with the set up so I ended up getting the Deluxe Pass into the festival allowing me free drinks all night. That was a bonus.
I'm really happy a lot of my friends from Thammasat showed up to the festival, I didn't think they would. It really made it more enjoyable. The music and the atmosphere was really mellow and a lot of them ended up camping around the lake so it made for a very relaxing night. I ended up going home around 3 am since I had to wake up to go trekking at 8 am that morning. Oops.
It was about a a two and half hour drive up north a bit where I accompanied a few other travel companions, two German girls around my age and two English boys a bit older. When we arrived in Pai, we stopped to eat some lunch and drink a few beers before hitting the trek. A young Thai boy came for the ride and ended up traveling the entire first day with us. We became pretty close, I ended up giving my water gun in preperation for Songkran, I just couldn't resist seeing him have so much fun with the damn thing. From there we started day one of our trek through Pai. It was hot as hell but oh my Buddah, was it fun.
After day one, we finally settled at a small home to an old man who cooked us all one of the best dinners I have eaten since I have been in Thailand. Chicken, potatoes, vegetables and rice. Delicious. Afterwards, the sun went down and all we had was candle light and whiskey. Luckily our tourguide brought his guitar and a songbook so the night seemed to never end. Then morning came, and day two started early at 8 am with hot tea and fresh eggs.
To view more from my adventures through Pai, visit my Flickr.
