Celebrating Songkran As A Buddhist Festival

[merlotaholic]

Sawasdee Pee Mai Thai everyone!

Wish you healthy, wealthy, successful and lots of love come to you.

If anyone has no plan for the long holiday yet, I’d like to suggest another activity to celebrate Songkran as a Buddhist Festival.

“Wai Pra 9 Wat” Go to 9 Wat (Temple) to pray, to make merit and to sculpture Stupa by sand.

“ Besides the throwing of water, people celebrating Songkran as a Buddhist festival may also go to a wat (Buddhist monastery) to pray and give food to monks. They may also cleanse Buddha images from household shrines as well as Buddha images at monasteries by gently pouring water mixed with a Thai fragrance (Thai: น้ำอบไทย) over them. It is believed that doing this will bring good luck and prosperity for the New Year. In many cities, such as Chiang Mai, the Buddha images from all of the city's important monasteries are paraded through the streets so that people can toss water at them, ritually 'bathing' the images, as they pass by on ornately decorated floats. In northern Thailand, people may carry handfuls of sand to their neighborhood monastery in order to recompense the dirt that they have carried away on their feet during the rest of the year. The sand is then sculpted into stupa-shaped piles and decorated with colorful flags “ (Wiki : http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Songkran)

9 Wats List

1. Wat Kanlayanamit Woramahawihan

2. Wat Chanasongkhram

3. Wat Bowornniwet Vihara Rajaworavihara

4. Wat Phrachetuphon Wimonmankhalaram

5. Wat Phra Si Rattanasasadaram

6. Wat Rakhangkhositaram Woramahawihan

7. Wat Suthat Thepwararam

8. Wat Arunratchawararam

9. Wat Sakesa Rajaworamahavihara

The access to these listed Wat is very easy by taking Chaopraya Boat, bus or even walk to Wat by Wat.

For more info : http://www.9wat.net/9wat-main-en.php

[Lifer]

This is how Songkran should be celebrate along with paying respect to family and relatives. Not the stupidity on the streets.

[Nisa]

While I enjoyed reading the OP and the suggestion it should be clarified that Songkran is not a Buddhist holiday or celebration. It would be similar to saying New Years (Jan. 1 - Christian/Western/Gregorian Calendar.) is a Christian Holiday or Celebration. But again, enjoyed the OP and have no problem with the view as I don't with the Christians suggesting people spend New Years at church. Me personally, I will enjoy the festivities and use some of this time to enjoy myself and take advantage of the fact it is a time that is even acceptable for adults to act like kids ... though we will likely spend a short time at the temple too as well as making resolutions.

[Lifer]

Although it was not a religious Budhist holiday, as we both know, it was celebrated by showing respect to family and Buddha. It never was a water throwing mayhem like it has envolved into.

I suspect, as I am, you are married and have a Thai family. I've gone through this for more than 14 years now and see how they celebrate it every year. The water origionally was used to bath the Budha and used by the elders in the family to bestow blessing on the relatives and family that come to pay resspect. The big cities have, in my opinion, slowly destroyed the culture of Songkran.

Hope your family has a wonderful time celebrating in your own way.

I also came across this a few minutes ago in City News: CityNews – ‘Songkran’, the Thai New Year, is an ancient ceremony and celebration in Thailand that started off as mostly a religious ceremony but has turned out over the years to become somewhat of a massive party (Christmas went down that same road). Generally, Songkran festival lasts for three days from 13th – 15th April each year, but as Chiang Mai residents know well the festival often starts early and finishes late.

Enjoyed your view too.

Edited April 13, 2012 by Lifer

[Nisa]

I also came across this a few minutes ago in City News: CityNews – ‘Songkran’, the Thai New Year, is an ancient ceremony and celebration in Thailand that started off as mostly a religious ceremony but has turned out over the years to become somewhat of a massive party (Christmas went down that same road). Generally, Songkran festival lasts for three days from 13th – 15th April each year, but as Chiang Mai residents know well the festival often starts early and finishes late.

Enjoyed your view too.

I "think" it still probably has nothing at all to do with religion except that laws, customs and everything else in ancient times were entangled in religion. However, "I think" its origins were more based on a calendar system based on astrology for farmers. I really need to research this again because this is going on memory of first reading about it years ago. I also believe the origins are both Chinese and Indian. But as you mention, all these things change over the years be it Christmas or even Easter (coloring eggs?). Few old holidays don't have some kind of religious significant because of how much religion played in older times and the need for their to be religious approval over things even as non-religious as a yearly cycle (New Year).

But with that said, most Thais (at least that I know) will, as you suggest, use this as an opportunity to visit the temple, make merit as well as other religious symbolic acts .. then they will go out in their pick-ups with tanks of ice water seeing if they can cause an old farang a hear-attack :-)

My only point (which I now need to go back and double check) was to point out it is not a religious celebration or holiday.

Edited April 13, 2012 by Nisa