Yesterday (it's already passed midnight) was the Thai New Year or Songkran--no relation to Thailand's long-time dictator, Phibun Plaek Songkram. My former Thai teacher, aacaan Kannikar, had a dinner party at her house for all her students--I simply crashed it. Her adorable kids, Po and Santhi, were already soaking wet blasting each other with water guns by the time we got there. By the way, Songkran is always celebrated with water. I mean lots of it, and yes, people do throw water at each other. The ritual represents cleansing and purifying oneself as the water symbolically washes away one's sins and spiritual defects. It's fun, really--as long as you don't mind getting wet. Since I didn't feel like being drenching wet, I was granted a "safe passage" into the house without getting splash. If I had brought a change of cloth, I'd definitely join in. Anyway, it was a fun day, the food was great, we played takraw in the yard, people took turns playing the piano, and we had good conversations late into the night. Surprisingly, hardly any talks on Thai politics, considering what a mess Thai political system is right now.
Anyway, here's a sample video of how Songkran is celebrated in Thailand. This one takes place in Songkhla, a city in southern Thailand, and it looks so much fun. Nothing better than to be splashed with cold refreshing water in a hot and humid tropical day.
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