Happy Songkran Festival from all of us at IVAS - Centre for International Visiting Artists and Scholars! 🎉
Songkran, also known as the Water Splashing Festival 🌊, is a celebration to mark the start of the Buddhist New Year 🎉. During the festival, people gather in the streets with water guns and buckets 💦, splashing each other with water as a symbol of cleansing and renewal to welcome the new year. Apart from the water fights, young people would perform the Rod Nam Dum Hua ritual, pouring fragrant water into the elders’ palms as a gesture of humility 🙏. People also visit temples to make offerings to monks and participate in religious ceremonies, seeking blessings for prosperity and health in the coming year. Different cities across Thailand celebrate Songkran differently in their own unique way, with the highlights of vibrant street parties in Bangkok 🎊 and the "Songkran Parade" in Chiang Mai featuring traditional performances 🎭. Through traditions of water splashing and religious ceremonies, Songkran embodies Thailand's rich cultural heritage and symbolises spiritual renewal✨.
🌟 Here are some first-hand sights into the festival as Tsz Kwan Lam from team IVAS shares that:
"The funniest thing about this festival is that you get to splash water on a stranger and you won't get punished for that! There is so much joy in the air, as people of all ages join in the massive water fights in the streets. From the colourful parades to the water-soaked streets, it's an experience that stays with you long after the festival ends."