Spirit of Songkran comes in droplets, not buckets

Migrant workers in Bangkok and other big cities are gearing up for their annual exodus to the provinces for reunions with their families. The week-long torrent of traffic unleashed tomorrow will be swelled by holidaymakers heading upcountry for the long break.

However, many others will be cutting their travel to a minimum at this time, mindful of the “seven deadly days” that make Thailand’s roads among the most dangerous in the world. 

 Plenty of us also prefer to stay indoors during the three festival days, when it can be difficult to avoid a soaking from the water pistols and buckets toted by groups of youngsters. 

For others across the country, Songkran is the perfect time to let loose with a long weekend of drinking, partying and sloshing away their cares. But the frenzied fun that ensues is a far cry from the festival’s original spirit, which has been all but forgotten by many people. Monday, when the national holiday begins, is also Seniors Day, while Tuesday is also Family Day. The special days are a clue to Songkran’s significance as a time when the young and old get together for family reunions. For Buddhists, the traditional New Year is also a time for making merit at temples.

While the original message of Songkran may have been diluted by some Thais, it is lost altogether on many foreign tourists. For them, the festival is a “water war” – a free-for-

 all of shooting and splashing. Each year, the vast watery battlegrounds attract armies of both Thais and tourists. The troops are often welcomed by local businesses and entrepreneurs, who make handsome profits selling them alcohol, water guns and talcum powder to smear over fellow revellers. But recent years have also seen a growing number of complaints from communities over scenes of scantily dressed women, sexual harassment, drunken revellers and troublemaking at the Songkran festivities.

In the popular Songkran destination of Chiang Mai, representatives from communities around the Old City Moats (Koo Muang), where the water fights are fiercest, have asked the city’s governor to crack down on misbehaviour and lawlessness over the next few days. Community leaders say that drunken revellers, near-naked dancers and aggressive partying have tarnished Chiang Mai’s Songkran celebrations over the past three years. They called on the authorities to enforce measures to help restore the beauty of the traditional northern Lanna-style celebration.

For many of us, the Songkran festival has changed dramatically since the days of our youth. Change is, of course, inevitable, and in some cases necessary. But also needful is continuity of traditions that keep this festival anchored in Thai cultural values. For many businesses, Songkran is just another opportunity to sell products or to make money. As such, they are only too eager to promote it as a raucous party. Commercialised in this way, the festival risks becoming an empty spectacle of hedonism.

Fun has its place, of course. But we must also remember the original spirit of this festival: a reunion between loved ones to mark the start of the New Year in a positive way with generosity and faith for the 12 months to come.