Songkran is surreal but too short

It’s a bit difficult to get back to “real life” after a long holiday, and you can be forgiven for wishing that Songkran was reality sandwiched by cruel nightmares. Why can’t we have a longer Songkran? If we can forgive and forget and just have fun during Songkran, why can’t we do the same for a bit longer? What prevents us from doing the noble things we do during Songkran?

Songkran gives us glimpses of utopia, if we take away the preventable road accidents, of course. And it’s good that the water-splashing festival is celebrated far wider than we initially thought. A few years ago, when the word “Songkran” was mentioned, it had some kind of a Thai monopoly feel to it. But, increasingly, we have come to know that Songkran is nobody’s exclusive. And that is a blessing in many ways, because while the borders can keep many things apart, like nationalities and laws, they should not shut out true knowledge about culture or traditions.

We know that many countries have been celebrating Songkran. People in this hot region in particular throw water at one another at this time of the year. Some celebrations may be still ongoing. There may be political and religious differences among Southeast Asian countries, but those differences pale during this period before the human love for fun and how people cope similarly when their land gets too warm.

Sometimes cultures and traditions reflect religious, political and historical influences. Sometimes, less complicated factors like the weather and geography play leading roles. 

Songkran is popular in this region simply because it’s closest to the sun in April and nothing can be more soothing, and fun, than getting soaked wet and making other people wet.

And sometimes, the good side of human nature emerges during festivals. 

Songkran is, of course, more than just splashing water around. People have gone to temples, built sand castles, made merit and spent time with friends and families. Smiles can be seen everywhere. In Myanmar, the rich share food with the poor. In Laos, food is left for starving people to pick up. 

In much of Thailand, this is the time when ideologies are put aside, inequality ignored and conflicts temporarily forgotten. For once, personal “assets” like money or big houses seem less important than friendship and going back to our roots. 

We are left wondering why we can’t have a Songkran all year so we can keep all other problems at bay.

Why does the spirit of forgiveness and sharing have to come only during festivals? Some answers are not quite logical. 

Many say too much festivity can endanger the survival of the species. They say a life full of partying and celebrations can make people weak. Natural selection only spares the tough ones, so they claim. To sum up, festivity can’t be expected to last forever and thus all the good things that come with it must be seasonal.

But sharing and forgiving cannot be the things that make people weak, can they? Actually, those who can forgive and share are considered to be stronger than those who neither forgive nor share. 

If “being stronger” is the whole idea, what’s the point of going back to what will in fact make us weaker? That is, in fact, the ultimate question. Why do we have to get back to “real life” after Songkran? A lot of people will, but should we?