Today is the final day of the Songkran festival in Thailand bringing in the Thai New Year (เทศกาลสงกรานต์). Songkran is celebrated on 13 April every year, but the holiday period extends from 14 to 15 April. 13 April is regarded as Maha Songkran, the day that the sun moves into Aries on the zodiac or the last day of the old year. The next day, 14 April is called Wan Nao, the transitional day between the old and the new years, and 15 April is called Wan Thaloeng Sok (วันเถลิงศก ‘to begin a new era or year’), New Year’s day itself.
According to the scripture, 800 years equal 292,207 days. In other words, each solar year lasts 292,207 kammaja ( กัมมัช, lit. one produced by karma), where 1 kammaja equals 108 seconds and 800 kammaja corresponds to 1 solar day. Timekeeping began as Kali Yuga started in 3102 BCE (−3101 CE).
Songkran was the official Thai New Year until 1888, then in 1940, this date was shifted to 1 January. Songkran is a Thai word, derived from Sanskrit saṅkrānti (संक्रान्ति), meaning ‘to move’, ‘movement’, ‘the passing of’ or ‘astrological passage’. It derives from the movement of the sun from one position to another in the zodiac. Songkran is believed to have roots in the ancient Hindu festival of Makar Sankranti, which marks the solar new year in India. This festival also involves rituals with water and is celebrated around the same time as Songkran.
According to its literal meaning in Sanskrit, a Songkran occurs every month. However, the period that Thai people refer to as Songkran happens when the sun moves from Pisces to Aries in the zodiac. The correct name for this period should actually be Songkran (‘great Songkran) because it coincides with the arrival of a New Year. The Songkran festival is, therefore, a celebration of the New Year in accordance with the solar calendar.
The traditional Thai New Year Songkran was transformed into a national holiday. Celebrations are famous for the public water fights framed as ritual cleansing. The festivities start with lots of water being sprayed everywhere at passersby, in cars, motorbikes as well as processions of Buddha statues and Lanna cultural dancing and shows. If you ever wanted to see a whole place become one big fun water play, then Thailand is the place to be during Songkran.
Traditionally, it is not all water sports fun though. Water is used in Songkran to symbolize cleansing and purification, washing away bad luck and misfortune from the previous year it is said that younger people pay respect to their elders by pouring water from silver bowls on the hands of older persons. This ceremony is known as “Rod Nahm Dum Hua.” After the family pays respect, the elders ask the younger ones to forgive them for speaking harshly during the past year and the elders give them a blessing and words of wisdom.
Pouring water on Buddha statues, monks, and elders is a way of showing respect, making merit, and asking for blessings for the new year too.
Ancient origin and mythology: the Lady of Songkran (Nang Songkran)
However, Songkran is not just about water fights. it has ancient origins in Buddhist and non-Buddhist scriptures. For example:
“According to the Buddhist scripture of Wat Pho, Songkran originated from the death of Kapila Brahma (กบิลพรหม, Kabilaphrom, ‘reddish Brahma’). In the olden days, there was a wealthy man and his neighbor, a drunkard. The drunkard, who had two sons, belittled the rich man for being childless. The rich man was humiliated and beseeched the Sun and the Moon gods to grant him a son. His attempts failed until he offered cooked rice to the tree god living in a banyan tree, who asked Indra to grant the man’s wish. The child, named Thammabal ( ธรรมบาล, also Dhammapala, lit. ‘one who protects righteousness‘), was born.
Thammabal was a clever child who learned three vedas, bird language and also taught people to avoid sin. Kapila Brahma learned of the child and wanted to test the child’s cleverness. The god asked, “Where is the glory of men (sri) located in the morning, during the day, and in the evening?”. The loser would have his head chopped off. The boy thought in vain for six days, but could not find a solution to the riddles. He lay beneath a sugar palm tree and overheard a conversation between a pair of eagles who planned to eat his corpse when he lost the bet. The female eagle asked her mate whether he knew the answer. He answered, “In the morning, the sri appears on the face, so people wash their faces every morning. At noon, the sri is at the chest where people spray perfume every noon. In the evening, the sri goes to the feet, so people wash their feet every evening.” Thmmabal memorized the answer and gave it to Kapila Brahma the next day. Having lost, Kapila Brahma summoned his seven daughters and told them that he must cut his own head off. However, if his head fell to earth, it would create an inferno that would engulf the world. If his head was thrown into the air, the rains would stop. And if his head was dropped into the ocean, all seawater would dry up. To prevent these calamities, he told his daughters to place his head on an elevated phan. Thungsa, his eldest child, stored her father’s head in the cave in Mount Kailash.
Every year when the Sun enters Aries, one of Kapila Brahma’s children, called the Nang Songkran ( นางสงกรานต์, ‘Lady Songkran’) for that year, and other angels form a procession. One of them takes the phan with Kapila Brahma’s head. The lady stands, sits, reclines or sleeps on the back of the animal depending on the time. From the dawn to midday, the lady will stand on the back of her conveyance. After midday until the sunset, she will sit down. Between the sunset and midnight, the lady lies down on her vehicle but leaves her eyes open. After midnight, she sleeps. These postures and other details were previously drawn as part of the Prakat Songkran and now as part of the lunisolar calendar. The procession lasts for 60 minutes around Mount Meru. This is subsequently called Maha Songkran to distinguish from other Songkran that occur when the Sun moves from one to another zodiac. For simplicity, the name was later shortened as Songkran.”
Buddhist pilgrimage sites in Thailand
Recently over the past couple of years, I have spent quite a bit of time (on and off) in Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai (in Northern Thailand, full of stunning Buddhist temples and Lanna culture). It really is a gorgeous place indeed, mountains, beaches, delicious Thai food, and of course the beautiful, friendly, joyful smiling Thai people, a land of sun and smiles for sure!
For my pilgrimage articles about Thailand, including Chiang Mai, Bangkok, Ayutthaya and more, see the Pilgrimage/Places section of the website here and scroll down to the Thailand section (or see links below).
Chiang Mai
Ayutthaya
Bangkok
