Lᴜᴋᴇ Wᴀʟᴋs explains: Songkran Festival: The Wonderful Thai Festival
This is SONGKRAN DAY ONE in CHING MAI.
Thais normally show reverence to Buddha by praying with lotus blossoms, incense sticks and candles, prostrating and placing gold leaf on Buddha images. However, you can also do it with water on Songkran Day. As the Thai New Year arrives, Thai Buddhists “bathe” Buddha images (song nam phra in Thai) by sprinkling water onto them with Thai-style silver bowls. The water is scented with flowers. On the morning of Songkran Day, Buddhists give alms to monks at temples. Thais pour water onto elders’ hands to show their respect. Since April 13 is also Thailand’s Family Day and April 14 the Elderly Day, the younger traditionally sprinkle water onto their parents’ and grandparents’ hands. The ceremony is called rod nam dam hua in Thai.
The Pee Mai Muang Parade is the parade of the Buddha Sihing (Pra Singha) , the most sacred Buddha image in Chiang Mai which we believe it could bring us the rain due to the heat in the summer time. Along in the parade with the Buddha images from many temples in Chiang Mai for the local to splash the holy scented water for good luck.
13th April is the first day of the festival is an exuberant celebration with processions of Buddha images taking place throughout the country. The Thai people also prepare themselves for the beginning of the New Year by cleaning their houses. More importantly, April 13th is when the water throwing really gets going.
Many families wake up early during Songkran and visit Buddhist temples, where they bring offerings such as food and listen to monks as they preach. Visitors sprinkle clean or scented water over statues of Buddha-the person believed to have started Buddhism-to represent purification and good fortune. Younger people also pour water on the hands of elderly relatives and friends to show their respect and ask for blessings in the coming year.
Songkran is a time to tidy. Central to the meaning of Songkran is cleansing, both mentally as well as outwardly regarding one’s physical surroundings. Homes are given a thorough going over, Buddha images and figures carefully washed, and public areas such as parks and pavements get swept clean - all in the understanding that allowing dirt to accumulate will, just like bad thoughts, lead to problems later in the year.
As most young people leave their hometowns for school and work, they usually take the opportunity to go home for Songkran to pay respect to their parents, grandparents, elder aunts and uncles. Some also visit their teachers, mentors and people they look up to and know well. A meaningful custom during Songkran is to pour Thai scented water over the palms of your parents and elders to wish them Happy New Year. While doing that, we apologize for our wrongdoings and ask for forgiveness and a New Year blessing. In return, the elders bless us. It’s common to offer them a fresh flower garland on Songkran.
In addition, Songkran is a time to do Buddhist ceremonies for deceased parents and ancestors. Buddhists believe that you can share good deeds or meritorious deeds with anyone, dead and alive. The Buddha taught that wholesome actions make for wholesome results. In other words, by doing good you will benefit from it in this lifetime and future lives; on the contrary, by doing bad you will suffer the consequences in this lifetime and future lives.
Since gratitude is an important part of Thai culture, Buddhist Thais continue to show respect to their parents and elder members of the family even after they have died, by doing meritorious deeds and sharing the merit with their spirits.
This is widely practiced in rural areas. Family members bring flowers to the temple and gather in front of the place where their ancestors’ ashes are stored. That could either be in the wall around the ordination hall or in small pagodas within the temple grounds. If the ashes are kept at home, they are brought to the temple for the ceremony.
Lᴜᴋᴇ Wᴀʟᴋs - does a deep dive into the SONG KRAN FESTIVAL in CHIANG MAI, THAILAND.
Luke Walks Season 3 ~ Thailand and her Festivals ~ Episode 6 Part 2
Original music created by TILLY TUNES (AKA Lᴜᴋᴇ Wᴀʟᴋs)
Lᴜᴋᴇ Wᴀʟᴋs explores THAILAND
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Title: CHIANG MAI SONGKRAN: Ladies on Bicycles and Processions | Songkran Explained Part 2 | S03E06P02
Created by: Luke Walks
Source: • CHIANG MAI SONGKRAN: L...
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Lᴜᴋᴇ Wᴀʟᴋs🚶 Video #202
Music = TILLY TUNES
Camera = iPhone 11Pro
Camera = GoPro Hero 9 Black
16 сен 2024
