Thai New Years

My birthday Always falls on the Thai New Years, Song Kran.

Song Kran, I am convinced is the greatest festival ever. It started as the birth of the Buddha, the new year. Traditionally, you pour holy water on Buddha statues to signify the new year and your respect for the Buddha. You also, pour water on the hands of the elders you respects, grandparents, teachers, etc.

Now, those traditions carry on but new ones have been added. The new tradition is to throw water on anyone you see, anytime during day light hours. Whole cities, all over Thailand, come out on to the streets armed with buckets, squirt guns, hoses, and the likes. Roads are packed with people, buddha statues, pick up trucks with tanks of water, flowers and bright flourescent shirts.




The whole nation parties for their New Years and I party for their new years and my new year. This kind of celebration would never work in the States, people would be pissed, fights and law suits would break out. Here, most people quietly wai you with their palms together, and wish you a happy new year and sprinkle water on your head. There are the more wild ones, that begin the day with whisky and soda and probably finish the night with the same, and their intentions are to make sure that everybody has as good a time as them.



This year might have been my last new year celebration, but I have now celebrated three years here in different places, with different friends, but with the same reverence and the same wetness.

Song Kran, thank you for the bday parties and the rest, I salute you!