Songkran April 12

According to the Buddhist scriptures of Wat Pho, Songkran arose from the death of Kapila Brahma (Thai: กบิลพรหม, romanized: Kabilaphrom, lit. "Redish Brahma"). Once there was a rich man and his neighbor, a drunkard. The drunkard, who had two sons, belittled the rich man because he had no children. The rich man was humbled and begged the gods of the Sun and Moon to grant him a son. His attempts failed until he offered cooked rice to the tree god living in a banyan tree, who asked Indra to grant the man's wish. The child, named Thammabal (Thai: ธรรมบาล, also Dhammapala, lit. 'one who protects justice'), was born.

Thammabal was an intelligent child who learned three vedas, the language of birds and also taught people to avoid sin. Kapila Brahma learned about the child and wanted to test the child's intelligence. The god asked: “Where is the glory of men (sri) in the morning, the day and the evening? » The loser would have his head cut off. The boy thought in vain for six days, but did not find a solution to the riddles. 

He was lying under a sugar palm tree and overheard a conversation between a pair of eagles who were planning to eat his corpse when he lost the bet. The female eagle asked her companion if he knew the answer. He replied, “In the morning, sri appears on the face, so people wash their faces every morning. At midday, the sri is at chest level where people spray perfume every midday. In the evening, the sri goes to the feet, so people wash their feet every evening. » Thmmabal memorized the answer and gave it to Kapila Brahma the next day. 

Having lost, Kapila Brahma summoned his seven daughters and told them that he must cut off his head. However, if his head fell to earth, it would create a hell that would engulf the world. If his head were thrown into the air, the rains would stop. And if his head fell into the ocean, all the seawater would dry up. To prevent these calamities, he told his daughters to place his head on a raised phan. Thungsa, his eldest, stored his father's head in the cave of Mount Kailash.

Each year, when the Sun enters Aries, one of Kapila Brahma's children, called the Nang Songkran (Thai: นางสงกรานต์, lit. 'Lady Songkran') for that year, and other angels form a procession. One of them takes the phan with the head of Kapila Brahma. The lady stands, sits, lies down or sleeps on the animal's back depending on the time. From dawn to noon, the lady will stand in the back of her vehicle. After noon until sunset she will sit. 

Between sunset and midnight, the lady lies down on her vehicle but leaves her eyes open. After midnight, she sleeps. These postures and other details were previously drawn as part of the Prakat Songkran and now as part of the lunisolar calendar. The procession lasts 60 minutes around Mount Meru. This is then called Maha Songkran to distinguish it from other Songkrans which occur when the Sun moves from one zodiac to another. For simplicity, the name was later shortened to Songkran.

The celebration of Songkran is rich in symbolic traditions. Mornings begin with merit. Visiting local temples and offering food to Buddhist monks is a common practice. On this specific occasion, pouring water on Buddha statues and on the young and old is a traditional ritual, representing purification and washing away one's sins and bad luck. As a festival of unity, people who have moved usually return home to their loved ones and elders. Paying respect to ancestors is an important part of the Songkran tradition.

The holiday is known for its water festival. The main streets are closed to traffic and serve as arenas for water fights. Celebrants, young and old, participate in this tradition by sprinkling water on each other. Traditional parades are held and in some places “Lady Songkran” or “Miss Songkran” is crowned. where competitors are dressed in traditional Thai clothing.