I spent the day with a scuba and travel buddy at the Songkran festival held at Wat Thai in the San Fernando Valley. Songkran is the Thai new year (currently 2547) and is a enthusiastic celebration. In Thailand the Songkran festivals are known for their water play. The Songkran period is a traditionally thought of as a period of renewal. In fact, Songkran means “passage.” Water is used as a symbol of washing away or renewing. Of course, as most traditions do, Songkran has morphed into a very wet and wild time. Children (and some adults) arm themselves with everything from high-tech water pistols to buckets and the goal is to soak as many people as possible. It’s all in good fun and the spirit of the event is playful. And it’s also somewhat practical as Songkran falls during Thailand’s hot season where it’s not uncommon to see temperatures in the high 90’s with humidity in the high 80’s, low 90’s.
I’ve posted some pictures from the Songkran festival as well as some photos that I just got around to putting up from a previous trip to Thailand.
Enjoy!