An ever-shifting tide, what does Songkran really mean to us now

To begin with, the day is crucial in an economic sense. Songkran is one of the three holidays that attract annual surveys on spending, along with the New Year and Chinese New Year. Last year, Songkran spending exceeded Bt100 billion. And we can expect that figure to grow even higher this year given the longer holiday period.

Songkran is also famous the world over as a water-splashing festival. Thanks to years of promotion by the Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT), visitors arrive in their hundreds of thousands to celebrate each traditional New Year. Most of them join millions of Thais in waging water battles that rage strongest in Bangkok and Chiang Mai. 

Celebrants also like to splash the cash, of course. Kasikornbank has reserved Bt36 billion in banknotes for this year’s holiday period, stuffing Bangkok ATMs and branches with Bt15.9 billion. That cash stockpile speaks volumes for the size of celebrations here in the capital, though billions more is spent during public parties that slosh all over the country.

In past years, revellers have descended on several spots in Bangkok armed to the teeth with pump-action water guns. Along Khao San and Silom roads there’s ammunition on tap in the form of large water tanks for reloading.

This year things could be a little different, though – at least on Silom Road. With Thailand suffering a serious drought, the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration is urging shops not to offer water refills, while revellers have been asked to use fine-spray weapons rather that gushing guns. If this year’s celebrations pass off dryer and quieter, the authorities might be prompted to rethink the modern selling point of raucous splashing.

Traditionally, Songkran is a day for the younger generation to pay respect to their elders and for families to spend a few precious hours together. Following in the footsteps of our ancestors we offer alms to monks to mark the New Year, and pour water on Buddha images in a symbolic washing away of sins and bad luck. Worshippers also seek a clean slate by carrying sand to temples, to replace that which their visits over the past year had removed. 

In the hottest month of the year, cooling water would then come into play, sprinkled gently over others, but only after first gaining their permission.

Yet, the old-style tranquillity is now fast submerging beneath an orgy of water-splashing. This year, campaigns promoting the traditional side of Songkran have been few and far between. For most young Thais, the holiday is simply about splashing, and they take it for granted that everyone welcomes a drenching, even those in uniform or on their way to work.

I would guess the scene isn’t much different in Myanmar, which is also celebrating its traditional New Year this month. The 10 days of holiday there is long enough for workers in big cities to return for reunions with their families upcountry. Each year, tens of thousands Myanmar workers in Thailand can be seen queuing at the border before and after the festival. Several people I know in Yangon have already arranged trips to their hometowns well in advance of the festival. 

The country’s recent opening after decades of military rule has offered glimpses of Myanmar’s once-hidden New Year celebrations.

Over the past four years, foreign companies have participated in the festival by setting up pavilions that serve as battlegrounds for water warriors.

This year saw 310 applications to erect large pavilions in Yangon and five for medium-sized venues.

Yet just as in Bangkok, celebrations in Myanmar’s commercial capital could be drier than usual this year.

The Yangon regional government is rejecting applications for the large pavilions along Kaba Aye Pagoda and Kandawgyi roads. Two reasons were cited – traffic jams and drought.

Naw Pan Thinzar Myo, the Kayin ethnic affairs minister, said Myanmar is threatened with water shortages over the next two months due to the effects of El Nino.

Commercial pavilions offering sponsors’ products will also be banned, while engineers will scrutinise others to ensure they meet new regulations.

With changes trickling both here and next door, it’s worth asking how Thailand should promote Songkran in the future.

If El Nino brings more frequent and severe droughts, and the holiday period continues to stretch, what happens to the water festival?

As the focus has shifted towards partying, one effect has been a rise in the number of casualties – especially deaths and injuries attributed to drunk driving. If, instead, traditional celebrations were promoted, would this reduce the body count?

The annual surveys show a sizeable amount is spent on partying. Could a change in the way we promote the festival create spending patterns that are more beneficial for the economy as a whole?

The Culture Ministry and agencies like TAT should review their strategies. At stake is something far more crucial than red bowls inscribed with a message from former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra. The issue here is how Songkran should be celebrated in the years to come. 

In the meantime, though, I wish everyone a Happy New Year and a relaxing long holiday.