Travel Report: Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok.

Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok.

April 2015.

I will always cherish the time I spent exploring the Thai capital. Looking back, I’m certainly glad I ignored all those warnings to get out of town at the earliest opportunity. Because, as so many people insisted, “Bangkok is a shithole”.

Rather, I spent ten days hitting the sights and digging deep into this often misunderstood city. As luck would have it, my trip coincided with Songkran, Thailand’s frenetic New Year festival which takes place every April between the 13th and the 15th.

Photo courtesy of PEAK99.

Songkran derives from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti, which references a transformation or change. The passing, if you will, into a new period. Like us in the west, Thais view the coming of a new year as a clean slate. The opportunity for a fresh and exciting new time in their lives.

There are numerous ancient traditions associated with Songkran, but the one that’s up front and centre these days is its unmissable water festival. As a symbol of purification, water is key in washing away one’s sins and cleansing the body of bad luck.

Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok.

As a result, Thais flock to the city’s temples to wash their hands, bathe buddha statues and clean the hands of relatives and monks.

Less endearing, but completely unavoidable, are the insane water fights that break out all over Bangkok. Prior to arriving, I’d read that one had to truly brace themselves for the water fighting of Songkran. After all, this is not simply a case of people spraying each other with a few water pistols.

In the days leading up to Songkran, I could see locals, expats and tourists alike getting ready for battle. Everywhere I went there were market stalls selling balloons, pistols, buckets, machine guns and cannons.

Despite all the warnings, I initially resolved not to buy a gun. I’ve never been much up for crowds and figured I’d just lay low for a couple of days during the height of the water madness. You know, stay local to my hostel and wile away the time resting and watching Breaking Bad.

Nevertheless, I was at least wise enough to buy some protective casings for my phone and wallet. People don’t think much about people’s valuables when it comes to Songkran water fights. Hence I made sure to buy a Songkran-proof bag for my beloved iPhone.

Thailand’s World Famous Water Festival.

However, it was during my first trip outside that I realised I’d made a huge mistake in not buying a gun. In the middle of my Breaking Bad marathon I ran out of supplies. Thus I decided to do a quick 7-Eleven run for water, soda, snacks, maybe a hot dog for lunch.

The scenes that greeted me can only be described as absolute mayhem. Teams of garishly dressed Thai men armed with machine guns roamed the streets soaking anyone within sight. Kids sprayed each other with little pistols, while folk dropped buckets of warm, bubbly water down onto the street from their apartment windows.

Pressed up against a wall, I edged down the street towards the nearby and yet oh-so-far 7-Eleven. But of course there was no escaping it. Within a few minutes I was thoroughly soaked and cursing my own stupidity.

On my way back to the hostel I thought, screw it, I need to defend myself. So I bought a gun, but not just any old gun. In fact, I went and got myself the biggest gun possible from the nearest market stall.

Consequently, I learned that having a massive gun definitely equates to getting less wet. This baby came in really useful for my daily trips to the store and back. One afternoon though, when I got home, I saw that some water had gotten into my protective bag. Unfortunately, all my money was now soaking wet, so I had to dry them out on radiators at the end of my bed.

Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok.

Songkran is also a great time for trying Thai dishes. There are even more food stalls around than usual, I’m talking every dozen steps or so. All I had to do was walk outside my hostel and I had a zillion options, everything freshly cooked and wonderfully cheap.

I’d heard that Songkran is a popular and auspicious time for Thais to get married. Right enough, I spied several wedding floats over the three day holiday. For the most part brides, grooms and bridesmaids were more than happy to be pictured in their gorgeous costumes. Surrounded by flowers and sheltered from the fierce sun under a parasol, these sightings always brought a smile to my face.

On the last day of Songkran I made a trip to Chatuchak Market to pick up some much needed essentials. The receptionist at the hostel had told me the celebrations were already dying down, which made me drop my guard. So much so that I actually forgot to take my gun with me!

It was pandemonium of course and within an hour of arrival I was wetter than a dolphin’s duvet. At some point a group of locals had taken a shine to yours truly and set about mercilessly spraying me from an array of unrelenting guns.

Celebrating Songkran in Bangkok.

Luckily, a market stall owner took pity on me. With a weary shake of the head, he lent me one of his machine guns and openly encouraged me to exact some sweet revenge.

In the end, I felt surprised by the amount of fun I had during Songkran. In addition to being a visual spectacle quite unlike any other, it’s a window into Thai culture and what an important role water plays in the new year festivities. That said, if I ever go back to Thailand, I think I’ll time my visit for any month but April.

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