The two sides of Songkran

April 13-15th is the Thai New Year, or Songkran. 'Wet and Wild' is probably the best way to describe this water festival to you. It is the biggest festival in Thailand, a time when everyone takes days off work and returns to visit their families and home villages. We were able to experience the traditional side of Songkran at the Cancer Hospital, where we were invited to take part in the celebrations.

As you can see, there is a simple rule for Songkran shirts - the louder the better... :oD

The ceremony is really quite simple and beautiful. Younger people pour small bowls of scented water with flowers, over the hands of elders to bless and honour them. The sprinkling with water is about cleansing, purification and fresh starts. It signifies the washing away of bad thoughts and actions, and is thought to bring them good luck in the new year. When we poured the water over the hands of elders at the hospital, we said "God bless you" and "Happy New Year". As this is normally done by family members, it really showed love and respect for us to bless them in that way when their family, like ours, was far away. 

 Although the origins of Songkran are far more religious, splashing complete strangers with water has become the main attraction of the festival. If you plan to step out of your house during the 3 days of Songkran, you can expect to get soaked by people standing on the side of the road with water pistols, buckets and hoses. If somehow you escape this, then on the road there are hundreds of pickup trucks with people crammed into the back, throwing water, sometimes iced water, at all and sundry. If you're out, you're a fair target! This is all good fun in the unbearable April heat (regularly 40 degrees in the afternoon, with high humidity!). 
In the centre of town, there was a stretch of road set up with fountains and sprinklers all along its length...

But there is a more modern, and uglier side to Songkran. Towards late afternoon, the processions of Buddha images and formalities end, and throngs form in the street to dance, party, and throw water. As most of these people have been drinking steadily through the day, it is an alcohol and drug fuelled 'party', with many unsavoury sights and consequences that I will spare you the details of. This also means drink-driving, which has earned Songkran week the title 'the 7 dangerous days'. 

This is the topsy-turvy nature of religion. While on one hand we ache for cleansing and purification, we cannot control our sinful nature. We end up living a double life, and destroying ourselves in indulging our sinful cravings. But Christ brings freedom. He is able to truly cleanse our hearts by dealing with the sin and actually change us in the process. Only His Spirit living in us ensures that we are no longer the same. What a redemptive message there is in the pouring of water to cleanse:

"By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way ... let us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty consciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been washed with pure water. Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise" Heb 10:20-23 (NLT)