17 Apr Celebrating Songkran 2014 and Saying Goodbye
It’s too late to run or hide, all I can do is gasp as yet another pail of icy water slaps my body. I hear some accompanying whoops and look up to see my Thai attackers perched on a truck that’s now speeding away down the road. I can just make out the neon water pistols they’re armed with and the barrel of water laced with ice that they’re scooping from with buckets. It’s Songkran 2014 in Chiang Mai, Thailand and nowhere is safe.
Songkran 2014 in Chiang Mai
Back in England New Year celebrations are usually a let-down. Typically it’ll be freezing cold and rainy, the streets will be full of drunken people throwing up and fighting, transport networks buckle under the strain and the local pub will charge you an entrance fee; Andrew and I tend to skip the evening altogether. By contrast, the New Year celebrations in Thailand, known as Songkran, are absolutely legendary.
Songkran traditionally falls according to the Lunisolar calendar but in recent years the festival dates have been fixed between the 13th and 15th April. However in Chiang Mai, which is deemed the Songkran Capital, celebrations can go on for almost a week. The festival was originally a time of cleansing and renewal, symbolised by pouring water over people or smearing them with a talcum powder paste to bring luck and prosperity. Nowadays, partly because the festival falls at the hottest time of the year, Songkran has basically become a giant water fight.
In Chiang Mai we began to feel the odd squirt of water here and there on the 11th but when we ventured outside the next day, the city was transformed. Streets had been shut off and were full of people carrying water guns; there were huge barrels everywhere and people lobbing buckets of water over passersby as well as into Tuk Tuks, Songtheaws and over motorcyclists. Locals were stood on street corners blasting people with hoses, children waved Angry Bird pistols at us and groups drove by on trucks pelting pedestrians with water. Here’s our Songkran 2014 video, accompanied by a catchy Thai song we keep hearing:
The streets around the old city walls and Thapae Gate were heaving with people and vehicles; from a distance it looked like one great sea of brightly coloured water guns and drenched dancing, screaming bodies; water was flying everywhere and flowing down the pavements in rivers. An Air Asia stage had been set up to blast music from while promo girls danced and a man sprayed the crowd with a giant water cannon.
Within seconds of leaving our hotel Andrew and I were soaked to the skin and fighting back with our Spiderman guns; a little Thai girl attacked us with a hose, westerners fired at us from across the street and a group of local boys threw icy pails over our heads from the backs of trucks. We made our way through the chaos to the city moat, where people were jumping into the murky water and hauling buckets out to throw.
Even the smaller back streets of the city were dangerous as there was no dodging the determined groups of people ready with their buckets and hoses. During Songkran we walked further around Chiang Mai than we ever have before and in the evenings we ended up in the markets where people laid down their guns to eat plates of steaming Pad Thai. By the end of the day we were normally exhausted; our hands ached from firing our water guns and our shoulders were red from the sun.
On the 13th, which was perhaps the craziest day of festivities, Buddha statues from monasteries around Chiang Mai were paraded on floats through the streets in a huge procession; Thai people lined up to cleanse the statues by throwing water over them and there was plenty of singing and dancing.
Surviving Songkran
As much fun as Songkran is, I can’t write this post without mentioning the dangers involved. Thailand already has the second-highest traffic fatality rate in the world but over Songkran accidents double; according to the Bangkok Post, 248 people died during Songkran 2014 and 2,643 were injured. With so much water and so many festival-goers everywhere the streets are a mess and it’s not hard to see why there are so many accidents. Andrew and I saw and experienced aggressive water throwing from a minority of people and saw others running recklessly into the roads. Most shockingly, we witnessed people throwing buckets of water straight into the faces of motorcyclists.
We tried to stay safe by not getting drunk, wearing sunglasses to protect our eyes and watching out for vehicles. We also observed our own Songkran etiquette by not splashing motorcyclists and drivers or people who clearly didn’t want to participate – we only shot at those who were carrying water guns or obviously joining in with the festivities. If everyone observed these rules, Songkran would be much safer and more enjoyable.
Saying Goodbye to Thailand
Songkran has been the most fun I’ve had in years and I truly can’t remember the last time I’ve smiled and laughed so much. It has been amazing to see all the Thai people and tourists alike cutting loose and celebrating together in one big party. My favourite part of the festival has been interacting with the Thai people; having water fights with kids and being blessed and wished a happy new year by smiling locals.
I will never get over how tolerant and welcoming the Thai people are to tourists, especially when we can be less than desirable guests at times; the people are one of the main reasons why we keep coming back to Thailand. Plus, what other country is cool enough (and lacks the health and safety regulations) to allow giant water fights in the streets?
Despite all the fun, celebrating Songkran has been bittersweet for me because it signals the end of our time in Thailand. I feel so sad to leave this incredible country which has become like a second home to us; a place so welcoming and familiar. The sadness I feel about leaving is compounded by the fact that we don’t know when we’ll next return; all I do know is that wherever I go from now on, a part of me will always miss Thailand.
Katie
Posted at 13:02h, 17 AprilSongkran sounds like a blast, even though it was bittersweet for you. Thailand is very hard to leave!! The Thai pop song in your video is a nice touch. 🙂
Amy
Posted at 15:50h, 17 AprilThanks Katie, we had an amazing time, Songkran was one of my fave travel experiences to date. We love the song too 🙂
Patti
Posted at 22:13h, 17 AprilWhat a wild event! Too bad the other side of it leaves so many injured. Do you think there is a chance you’ll return to Thailand to teach?
Amy
Posted at 03:50h, 18 AprilHi Patti, yes it really is a shame so many people get injured and killed during Songkran. It looks like we’re heading to Hanoi, Vietnam and South Korea to teach now (more about this later on the blog). Sadly, English teaching work in Thailand doesn’t pay all that well and we wouldn’t be able to save for our Canada/America trip if we worked there. Hopefully we will return to Thailand for a visit before we leave Asia though 🙂
Steph (@ 20 Years Hence)
Posted at 02:47h, 18 AprilTotally agree, Amy. Although we did not purposefully decide to plan our time in Laos/Thailand to coincide with Songkran, I am SO glad that things turned out that way. We’ve always enjoyed our time in Thailand, but this really took thing to a new level—people were legitimately blissed out here in Bangkok and the happiness was just infectious. And although I initially was dreading getting soaked, I came to delight in it because it really was so refreshing in the swampy Bangkok heat. Songkran is definitely our favorite new holiday too!
Amy
Posted at 03:53h, 18 AprilI bet Songkran in Bangkok was crazy! I was also worried I’d get annoyed with being constantly soaked by people but actually it was just what I needed in the heat! It was a great end to our time in Thailand 🙂
Charlie
Posted at 09:52h, 19 AprilSongkran looks like so much fun! I’ve always want to be in Thailand for it. I remember how hard it was to leave Thailand, but it’s always fun to head off on a new adventure – have a great time in Vietnam and South Korea 🙂
Amy
Posted at 13:18h, 19 AprilThanks Charlie! Songkran was amazing, well worth scheduling into your trip if you can 🙂
Catherine
Posted at 14:24h, 19 AprilThis sounds like so much fun! Dangerous too, but like you say if you follow a few simple rules this isn’t so bad. Would love to be in Thailand for Songkran! Sounds amazing 🙂
Andrew
Posted at 03:34h, 20 AprilIt was great Catherine! Although we could see some of the western tourists going a bit overboard with the bucket-full-of-water-throwing at motorcyclists, it just made you cringe when one guy had to swerve and another with his daughter on the back had to stop and sort out his eyes. Some people just don’t know when to stop and they get carried away. But we had a fantastic end to our time in Thailand, and we’re keen to come back some day too! 🙂
Victoria
Posted at 05:21h, 26 April‘Looks like you had a lot of fun but I like the points that you mentioned. I’ve heard that it can sometimes get out of hand or the water is filthy. One blogger actually got infected because there was something put in the water and it was squirted into his eyes…Having said that though, if caution is made and people stick together and don’t drink too much, it should be a blast.
Thanks for sharing!
Amy
Posted at 11:39h, 26 AprilWow, those are some nasty stories. We tried to avoid going too close to the moat in Chiang Mai as people were drawing dirty water straight out of it to throw and I didn’t fancy getting in my mouth and getting sick. Songkran is definitely a blast overall though 🙂
Franca
Posted at 13:02h, 28 AprilI know Songkran in Chiang Mai is simply crazy and a lot of people thinks is over the top, I’ve never experienced it myself. Last year we were outside Chiang Mai volunteering so we celebrated with the villagers and had some fan, but it was nothing compared to what you mentioned.
Amy
Posted at 03:57h, 01 MayHi Franca, it sounds like you had a really unique Songkran experience that was also wonderful. It was a little crazy in Chiang Mai but overall it has become one of our favourite travel experiences.
Kerri
Posted at 13:37h, 28 AprilSongkran looks like a lot of fun! How did you get all the pictures without getting the camera soaked?
Amy
Posted at 03:58h, 01 MayHey Kerri, it was incredible; we used a waterproof iPhone case which worked out well although a proper waterproof camera would have been great, we’ve been talking about getting one of those for snorkelling too but just can’t justify the cost right now!