One of the most desired destinations in Asia is Thailand. The festival of Song Kran is the traditional Thailand festival celebrating the start of the New Year and is held from the 13th to the 15th of April each year. While this is celebrated throughout the country one of the most beautiful, vibrant places to celebrate this is in the city of Chiang Mai. This is a vastly popular city for the celebrations and gives a real chance to experience this vibrant festival in the flesh. Chiang Mai is a city found to the North of Thailand and offers a beautiful journey if travelling from Thailand with rich culture to be found along the way. One of the popular traditions is to throw water on visitors when they arrive to the city which is something that was definitely not expected! If you are wanting to experience this wonderful festival, for yourself, in Chiang Mai then ensure that you book early as accommodation regularly fills up many weeks in advance and prices are inflated just days before ensuring that even the most basic accommodation will be expensive if booked at the last minute.Besides the accomodation you should also make sure to book your flights in advance.
This festival was originally, like many others in this culture, set by astrology, however, this is now on a fixed date every year allowing for businesses and travellers to plan their days accordingly. Many things have changed about the festival since it first began and where once the water involved in this festival was used as a way of blessing people it has now become a fantastic water fight that must be seen to be believed with almost anything being used as a means for carrying water. It is not unusual to see people at the side of the road who are just using hoses to splash people on foot, on bicycle, even people driving in cars. This is believed to be a way of bringing good luck and prosperity.
The more traditionalist part of me feels that the festival has changed, over recent years, from one which is about blessing one another to one which is much more centred on fun and less on respecting your ancestors and showing a mark of respect. However, that is not to say that I did not enjoy this wonderful festival. It was an incredibly fun filled three days and I would happily return here year on year just for the vibrancy and laughter that regularly filled the air.
During the festival of Song Kran it is not unusual for the vast majority of businesses to be closed, due to the bank holiday, so it is advisable to prepare for this in advance by ensuring that you have all the supplies that you need before the businesses close for their relaxing break in the blissful sunshine, with temperatures that can reach 40 degrees.
Most importantly, remember that this is a fun filled festival. Keep your belongings safe, don’t dress up smart until after sunset, when the water fights will cease usually, and take a waterproof camera with you. Some of the photographs that you will get will be truly amazing and form part of the memories that you will treasure forever. If you have room in your suitcase then why not take a water gun with you, however, fear not because these can be purchased locally to help you enjoy the fun and games!
Images by anaktaro
