How and when to celebrate New Year in Thailand?

Every year in Thailand, a great many of the most interesting and unusual holidays are celebrated. Noticed that locals really love the New Year - which is probably why they celebrate it three times in 12 months. If you build these celebrations in chronology, then the Thais are the first to celebrate the global holiday, followed by the New Year according to the Chinese lunar calendar and the third time falls on Wang Songkran. The features of the celebration of these days in Thailand will be discussed in our review.

At the national level, Thailand celebrates three New Years. The first is the international New Year. The habit of celebrating this day in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, that is, on the night of December 31 to January 1, penetrated Thailand relatively recently - together with tourists, as well as Thais living or studying in Western countries. Basically, the international New Year is celebrated by young people, as well as visitors and residents of large cities who strive to comply with the European lifestyle.

The second time the New Year is celebrated on the Chinese lunar calendar. In general, in Thailand, China's cultural influence is great, which is why this New Year is considered one of the largest national holidays. Its date is calculated in accordance with the lunar calendar for the current phase of the earth's satellite, which is why it can be either in January or in February. And, finally, directly Thai New Year Songkran - it is celebrated in the period from April 13 to 15.

To understand what is Songkran, and why it was recognized as the Thai national New Year, it is necessary to plunge into the history of this holiday. In the second decade of April, southeast Asia usually ends the off-season period, which is characterized by low humidity and intense heat. Plants and people suffer from such weather. To replace it, the southwest monsoon enters the territory, it brings cool tropical showers to the territory of Thailand. It is believed that the more abundant and longer these rains are, the greater will be the yield of rice and many other crops grown on the islands.

Since ancient times, it has been customary to cause heavy rains by watering each other with water. This ritual arose a millennium ago in ancient India, it was there that it was called Songkran, which means “change of seasons”. During the spread of Indian culture in Thailand, this tradition was adopted by many other Asian countries.

In Thailand, the ritual was somewhat modified, it was adapted to the characteristics of the Buddhist religion, and the date of celebration was combined with the time of the Buddha's departure to Nirvana. That is why during the New Year, Thais everywhere go to services in local churches, bring alms to the monks, and in return receive a blessing from them. A spray of water symbolizes the call of good rains. In addition, it is believed that water cleanses a person of bad thoughts, the effects of negative energy and evil spirits.

Initially, for dousing each other, people used only illuminated fresh water, and the spray itself was very delicateso that water does not get on the face, ears and head, since touching the head in Thailand is considered a vulgar gesture that can take away a person’s luck. However, modern youth brought a hint of fun to this ritual - these days, boys and girls simply “drench” each other with any water. Tourists and the rest of the local population quickly connected to this fun game.

Although Thais celebrate the interethnic New Year in the same way as many other Western peoples - in their families, nevertheless for them it is not so much a family holiday as a public holiday. In spite of this, preparation for his meeting is very responsible. The main difference between their celebration and the celebration in Russia and Western countries is that a few days before December 31, all residents of Thailand go to churches - there they read special New Year's prayers (they even have their own name - khurals). While reading prayers in the wild, fish and birds are released. Otherwise, everything goes exactly the same as with many other peoples - living quarters are decorated with colorful garlands, balls and tinsel. People prepare a delicious dinner, organize unusual shows and events, and at exactly midnight, under the chimes, they congratulate each other and exchange gifts.

The Chinese New Year in Thailand is celebrated every year, the date of the celebration is variable, because it is tied to the phases of the moon. Before the holiday, it is customary for local residents to decorate streets and houses with red paper lanterns. Immediately on New Year's Eve, huge figures of dragons and snakes are stretched across the streets, they are carried by people dressed in bright unusual costumes.

Songkran may be celebrated on different days in different provinces of Thailand. - this is due to the fact that before astrologers calculated the desired date by the position of the stars, therefore, in the calculations often there were discrepancies - over time they stood out in the tradition. So, in Chiang Mai, the New Year is celebrated from April 11 to April 15, in Bangkok - from April 12 to 16, in Phuket - from April 13 to 14, and in Pattaya - from April 12 to 19 or 20.

Regardless of the province, The officially established date for celebrating the New Year is the period from April 13 to 15. It is on these numbers that the height of the holiday falls, and residents are given an official weekend. Before the holiday, it is customary to carry out general cleaning in their home, Thais throw out from their home everything that they do not use, and that has accumulated unnecessary for a long 12 months.

Celebrations in honor of the New Year in Thailand are held on a grand scale, they are more like the Chinese New Year or the world-famous Brazilian carnivals - those who at least once participated in such events are unlikely to ever forget them. The holiday period is divided into three stages. Let us dwell on each of them.

It is customary to gather in the circle of family or close friends on April 13 - together the Thais perform a ritual of washing each other, arrange a gala dinner or go to the temple. Young people, not very religious, simply celebrate the holiday in bars and restaurants. Thais who did not manage to get rid of unnecessary things in advance should do this on the first day of the New Year. Usually at this time in all cities and villages there is smoke from bonfires, on which residents burn all their trash. It is believed that along with garbage from the house they throw out all the negative energy accumulated over the previous year.

Long processions of monks pass through the streets of cities and villages - they carry a Buddha statue in their hands, give blessings to the crowd of others and scatter the petals of sacred flowers. On the first day of the New Year, beauty contests and flower exhibitions are held throughout Thailand, they select the most beautiful plant, the most magnificent bouquet, as well as a young girl who becomes Miss Songkran.

On the second day, Thais massively go to Buddhist temples for blessing. Locals put on festive religious clothing, they go to the service with trays of fruits, carry flowers, all kinds of sweets and donations. The monks barely have time to endure them, which is why the place near the Buddha statue by the end of the day often resembles a fruit market.

The monks themselves on the second day of the New Year are obliged to pay respect to all guests and be sure to treat those who came to the temple without offerings. Upon returning home, Thais sprinkle the whole house and Buddha statue with water mixed with incense. When all the sacred actions in the dwelling are completed, the most interesting thing begins - the locals go out into the street, coat each other with multi-colored talcum powder, and then water it.

Young people hide behind corners, trees, cars in order to unexpectedly jump out and pour water over people passing by. This day ends with a festive feast that lasts all night. By the way, some Thais can even walk for three days in a row - usually during this period cafes, restaurants and other catering establishments are crowded with people, and finding a free table can be quite problematic.

The celebration continues on the third day - on April 15, local residents come to visit their old relatives or friends. During the meeting, they wash the hands of loved ones with water, and then have a big family dinner or dinner.

First of all, the New Year in Thailand is a family holiday, that is, a day when it is customary to say words of love to your loved ones and express respect. That is why, after people come from the temple, they sit at the table with the whole family. Usually a New Year's meal in Thailand includes the following dishes:

• bananas with beans;
• scallops with spices;
• Thai fish with chili sauce;
• Thai noodles with chicken;
• ginger noodles with tofu;
• appetizer with crab meat;
• shrimp sambal.

The main tradition of the Thai New Year is to splash water. Usually cold fresh water is used, the beneficial use of sea water is undesirable, since it is considered contaminated. Usually in April in Thailand there is quite a lot of heat, so many Thais prefer to mix water with ice so that passers-by experience as much thrill as possible. Some locals scent water with fruit oils and incense.

It is believed that the ritual of dousing with water in Thai allows you to cleanse the soul and energy of a person, therefore, in no case is it recommended to show any aggression or resentment towards the person who doused you. Know - and the Thais themselves will not be offended, they will be overwhelmed.

We draw attention to the fact that on the eve of the holiday, the cost of water pistols, water pumps and other water weapons in tourist kiosks takes off “to the skies” - if you do not want to give a dozen dollars for a small piece of plastic, it’s better to buy them in advance at night markets or in hypermarkets .

Besides, in Thailand for the New Year it is customary to coat a person with clay and colored talc. It is assumed that such a procedure protects him from evil spirits, and the more he smears, the more effective his cleansing will be in the coming year. Therefore, one should not be surprised that some mischievous person suddenly jumps up to you and smudges it. Do not worry, for sure the next passer-by will certainly try to wash you from this dirt with water from a bucket - and so it will be repeated indefinitely.

Europeans who decide to visit Thailand on New Year's Eve should follow some guidelines.

• It is advisable to leave a mobile phone in your room, and if you do not want to stay in an unfamiliar country without a means of communication, then first wrap it in several layers of polyethylene.
• Wear clothes that you will not mind throwing away after the holiday, or in extreme cases that you can easily wash.
• When participating in a wet festival, avoid getting cold water on people of mature age, as well as on those who walk down the street with a mobile phone and talking.
• In order to thank the locals for the holiday, wish them a Happy New Year and express their appreciation, try to memorize the phrase “Sawasdee pi mai!”. However, if you can’t remember her in any way, just tell the locals “Happy Songkran!” - rest assured, they will certainly understand you, and they will be very pleased.

In general, a tourist vacation in Thailand during the New Year holidays has its own characteristics.

• In anticipation of the holidays, the cost of tickets increases many times, the same can be said about air travel.
• Places in good restaurants and luxury hotels are usually occupied for the whole holiday week long before the New Year, and this applies to all three holidays: international, Chinese and traditional Thai. Therefore, it is better to book rooms in advance.
• Keep in mind that during the New Year holidays, mass price reductions are often arranged in shopping centers in Thailand - at this time you can buy things and accessories with discounts of 50-70%.
• Well, of course, it should be understood that this day everywhere is crowded and very noisy.

For how Songkran's “wet New Year” is celebrated in Thailand, see the next video.