Songkran or the Thai New Year is celebrate annually on April 13-15 and is the occasion for family re-unions, temple visits and annual house cleaning. Most Thais will observe this holiday by spending time with families and friends.
Traditionally, the Rod Nam Dum Hua ritual will be performed on the first day of Songkran, which is also the National Elderly Day where young people would pour fragrant water into the elder’s palm as gesture of humility and to ask for their blessings for the year to come.
The second day of Songkran is the National Family Day where family members will wake up early and give alms to the monks and then spend the rest of the day together. An important ritual during Songkran is “Bathing the Buddha image” where devout Buddhists will pour fragrant water over Buddha statues both at home and in the temple. More religious followers will engage themselves in Buddhist ceremonies and merit-making activities throughout the holidays.
Water plays an important element during Songkran but contrary to what you might witness during Songkran or images from Songkran, Thai’s dont just throw water at each for no good reasons but the meaning behind the splashes is to symbolically wash off all misfortunes in the past year and welcoming the new year with a fresh new start.
Apart form throwing water on people, another rites of Songkran is to rub white powder on people’s face. The white powder usually mixed with water into a white paste is a symbol of protection against the evil.
This year the Cabinet of Thailand has added extra days off to the Songkran 2018 holidays, thus extending it from the usual April 13-15 to now April 12-16, making it a 5-days holiday to allow more time for Thais to travel back home.
Colonel Athisith Chainuvati, a government spokesman said the extended holiday will boost economic activities and tourism for the country and Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha has asked the various agencies to make life easier for those who are travelling home during the holidays by staying open longer to make it more convenient.
However the Roadtrippers.asia team will be at Seremban Prima Mall where the most established motoring event in Malaysia, Mean Machines will be having its special Songkran Edition Mean Machines where the Thai New Year will be celebrated here in Seremban, Negeri Sembilan on April 13-15, 2018.
