The Buddhist traditions are mostly practiced at the temples around town. There, scented water is poured over the statues of the Buddha and loved ones. People gather around and listen to monks speak.
Meanwhile, as Buddhists worship at temples throughout Chaing Mai or travel to visit family, the other side of Songkran can only be most accurately defined as the biggest water fight in the world! This is where massive super-soakers and buckets are loaded full of water and sprayed into strangers' faces, with every car in the overcrowded streets equipped with 55 gallon barrels of water, "ammunition," ready to unload on anything that enters the reach of those at the helm.
Massive blocks of ice are purchased from random folks lining the streets, tossing freezing water on completely suspecting passer-buyers. Random "fill-up" stations were available around the moat and the old city. Local businesses take the four-day hit on their water bill to keep the party going with an unlimited supply of water from their tap, usually through an industrialized sized hose endlessly filling barrells with water.
But the best part of all...you get to act like a complete kid again!
I mean, everyone of all ages participates in the fun. Running around laughing like a giddy little child, getting pelted all over with refreshing water while boiling under the sun. You really feel that youthful spirit come alive. Like, man, I remember those days!
The city hosts many concerts and DJ's all over town. Although I was rather fried and didn't do a ton most evenings, there was a bunch going on after sundown. Some of the big malls host live music on their doorsteps, and bars uncomfortably packed with lines out the door, clearly violating capacity.
It's madness! It's refreshing! Its disgusting, at times!
Its absolutely the best festival in Thailand, especially here in Chaing Mai!
But no matter what, you don't leave your home without getting annihilated with water- it's just understood. Either from a small child wielding a super-soaker the size of himself, or a sweet old woman tossing cup sized amounts of water as you pass her front porch, you WILL get soaked!
After the third day I was kind of over it though. Living as a bachelor and eating out at restaurants every meal, I just don't have food in my fridge. So when trying to leave my apartment to get some breakfast that fourth day, I just wanted to be dry and eat in peace. Ha, but good luck with that, I was eating completely drenched, and honestly, it didn't matter.
The city hosts many concerts and DJ's all over town. Although I was rather fried and didn't do a ton most evenings, there was a bunch going on after sundown. Some of the big malls host live music on their doorsteps, and bars uncomfortably packed with lines out the door, clearly violating capacity.
It's madness! It's refreshing! Its disgusting, at times!
Its absolutely the best festival in Thailand, especially here in Chaing Mai!
But no matter what, you don't leave your home without getting annihilated with water- it's just understood. Either from a small child wielding a super-soaker the size of himself, or a sweet old woman tossing cup sized amounts of water as you pass her front porch, you WILL get soaked!
After the third day I was kind of over it though. Living as a bachelor and eating out at restaurants every meal, I just don't have food in my fridge. So when trying to leave my apartment to get some breakfast that fourth day, I just wanted to be dry and eat in peace. Ha, but good luck with that, I was eating completely drenched, and honestly, it didn't matter.
All you can do is smile.
I've never seen anything like it before.
The country literally comes to a complete stand-still! Everything shuts down - minus some bars and restaurants, because of course, that's what fuels the festivities.
Embarrassingly, I actually locked myself out of my apartment the first day of Songkran, only to find the small note in broken English written on the leasing office door, "Office close, no key no in apartment until 4-15."
It was the 13th.
How I managed to "break-in" later that evening is another story - returning home completely soaked from head-to-toe, a little drunk and exhausted, I was determined to concur that locked door. Needless to say, I wasn't homeless for the duration of Songkran.
It was the 13th.
How I managed to "break-in" later that evening is another story - returning home completely soaked from head-to-toe, a little drunk and exhausted, I was determined to concur that locked door. Needless to say, I wasn't homeless for the duration of Songkran.
Songkran couldn't come at a better time too. April is apparently the hottest month of the year, and when Thais call it hot, it's baking! I can now say living in Chaing Mai, April will personally and very appropriately be marked as the month where I average three showers a day, and celebrate the craziness that is Songkran!
This is a must when traveling to Thailand, mark the date - (April 12th-15th).
April is a fantastic time to be in Chaing Mai!
April is a fantastic time to be in Chaing Mai!
haha wild
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