Serenity over Songkran
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More into culture than water fights? We have some suggestions about how to spend the Thai New Year
Traditionally, many Bangkokians return to their provincial hometowns to celebrate Songkran, making the City of Angels less crowded. And while there is plenty of water being thrown about, there is also lots to enjoy in the realm of art and culture.
The Kingdom’s rich traditions were showcased earlier this week during the royal cremation of Her Royal Highness Princess Bejaratana on Monday. Thousands participated in the ceremony and enjoyed a marathon of rare entertainment that included 12 episodes of khon masked dance, lakorn nok and live music at Sanam Luang, while millions watched the procession on the television.
The Royal Crematorium and related structures within the Sanam Luang ceremonial ground are open to the public until Tuesday.
The Fine Arts Department under the Ministry of Culture is arranging tours of the Royal Crematorium, with officials giving a briefing and taking people in groups around the ceremonial site. The tours are held four times a day: at 10am, 2, 4 and 6pm.
The Royal Crematorium for the late Princess is built in the form of a religious structure with a wooden top, facing the west. The structure is in the shape of a four-sided castle, with modified corners, decorated at the top with a seven-tiered white umbrella of state. The structure measures 35.59 metres from the base to the top of the white umbrella.
The principal colours for the Royal Crematorium are gold and pink. Pink represents Tuesday, the day Princess Bejaratana was born.
The related structures include the Royal Merit-Making Pavilion (Phra Thinang Songtham) – the open hall located to the west of the Royal Crematorium, the Urn Resting Room (Ho Plueang) located to the east of the crematorium’s back balcony and the Four Corner Pavilions for Monks (Sang, or Samsang).
The royal carriages and palanquins used at the Royal Cremation Ceremony for Princess Bejaratana are also open to the public until Tuesday from 9am to 4pm at the National Museum near the ceremonial site. Tours take place at 10 and 11am and 1 and 3pm, with officials serving as tour guides.
For residents of Bangkok’s eastern suburbs, the Joe Louis Theatre is bringing its famed puppet shows to the Paradise Park shopping mall, daily until Tuesday. The troupe will perform episodes from the Ramayana including “Krut Yood Nak” and “Hanuman Catches Nang Supannamatcha”. Shoppers are also invited to pour lustral water on Buddha statues from nine royal temples. Tomorrow at 4pm, Phra Maha Sompong Talaputto will give a sermon.
But for those who really can’t resist a good soaking, the war of water begins today at Bangkok’s most popular tourist enclave – Khao San Road – and continues until Sunday. The road will be closed during the festival. This year, the focus is on a traditional Thai celebration – powder and alcohol are banned.
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- For information on the Royal Crematorium site, visit Thailand.prd.go.th/view_inside.php?id=6238.
- For more information on activities at Paradise Park, call (02) 787 1000 or visit www.ParadisePark.co.th.
