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Thai Festivals and Ceremonies

 

Songkran (pronounced sohng-krahn) is the traditional Thai New Year that is celebrated for three days (13-15 April) by symbolically washing sins away and blessing friends with water. Young people have a fun time lying in ambush with buckets of water, huge water guns and hoses to get everyone soaking wet.

 

People also go to a wat (temple) to pray and give food to monks. They cleanse Buddha images by gently pouring scented water over them. In northern Thailand, people build stupa-shaped piles of sand and decorate them with colorful flags and flowers.

 

Loy Krathong (pronounced loy krah-tohng) is an ancient festival to honor and thank the water spirits for all the water provided during the growing season. It is celebrated (the full moon of the 12th Thai month) on the first full moon after the rice harvest.

 

At night, the people float colorful, candlelit banana-leaf bowls, baskets and lanterns on the rivers. The act of floating away a raft is symbolic of letting go of one's grudges, anger and defilements of the past year and ushering good luck in the coming year.

 

Rocket Festival is the most lively festival in Isan, northeast Thailand. It is held annually over the weekend that falls in the middle of May. It is held annually over the weekend that falls in the middle of May. The festival's origin lies in the custom of firing rockets into the sky at the start of the rice-growing season to remind the sky god to send promised rain. The festival now takes the form of a competition to see whose rocket will stay aloft for the longest time.

 

 

On Sunday, the rockets are launched from a tall ladder-like structure. If a rocket fails to launch or explodes then the owner will be thrown unceremoniously (roughly) into the mud!