How and when is the New Year in Thailand?

Every year in Thailand, a great many of the most interesting and unusual holidays are celebrated. It is noticed that locals are very fond of the New Year, which is probably why they celebrate it three times in 12 months. If you line up these celebrations in chronology, then the first Thais meet 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.

Nationally, 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 into 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 guests of the country and residents of large cities who strive to correspond to the European lifestyle.

The second time New Year is celebrated according to the Chinese lunar calendar. In general, in Thailand, the cultural influence of China 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 according to the current phase of the earth's satellite, which is why it can be either January or February. And, finally, the Thai New Year Songkran itself - it is celebrated from 13 to 15 April.

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

Since ancient times, it has been customary that you can cause heavy rains by pouring water on each other. This ritual a thousand years ago originated in Ancient India, it was there that it received the name Songkran, which means “change of seasons”. During the spread of Indian culture in Thailand, this custom was adopted by many other Asian countries.

In Thailand, the ritual was somewhat modified, it was adapted to the peculiarities of the Buddhist religion, and the date of the celebration itself was combined with the time of the Buddha's departure to Nirvana. That's why During the New Year, Thais everywhere go to services in local temples, bring alms to the monks, and in return receive blessings from them. The splashing water symbolizes the call for good rains. In addition, it is believed that water cleanses a person from bad thoughts, the action of negative energy and evil spirits.

Initially, people used only lighted fresh water to douche each other, and the spraying itself was carried out very delicatelyso 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 good luck from a person. However, modern youth have brought a note of fun to this ritual - nowadays, young men and women simply "shower" each other with any water. Tourists and the rest of the local population very quickly joined this fun game.

Although Thais celebrate the interethnic New Year in the same way as many other Western nations - in their families, nevertheless for them it is not so much a family holiday as a public holiday. Despite 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 the temples - there they read special New Year's prayers (they even have their own name - khurals). During the recitation of prayers, fish and birds are released. Otherwise, everything goes exactly the same as in many other nations - living quarters are decorated with colorful garlands, balls and tinsel. People prepare a delicious dinner, organize unusual shows and events, and exactly at midnight, to the chimes, they congratulate each other and exchange gifts.

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

In different provinces of Thailand, Songkran may be celebrated on different days - this is due to the fact that previously astrologers calculated the required date by the position of the stars, therefore, discrepancies often arose in the calculations - over time they stood out into the tradition. So, in Chiang Mai, the New Year is celebrated from April 11 to 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 13 to 15 April... It is on these dates that the height of the holiday falls, and residents are given an official weekend. Before the holiday, it is customary to carry out a general cleaning in their home, Thais throw out everything from their house that they do not use, and that accumulated unnecessary over the long 12 months.

Celebrations in honor of the New Year in Thailand are held on a huge scale, they are more reminiscent of the Chinese New Year or the world famous Brazilian carnivals - anyone who has ever participated in such events is unlikely to ever forget them. The holiday period is divided into three stages. Let's dwell on each of them in more detail.

It is customary to gather with family or close friends on April 13 - together Thais perform the ritual of washing each other, arrange a festive dinner or go to the temple. Young people who are not particularly religious simply celebrate the holiday in bars and restaurants. Thais, who did not manage to get rid of unnecessary things in advance, should do it on the first day of the New Year. Usually at this time in all cities and villages there is smoke from fires, on which residents burn all their trash. It is believed that together with the 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 statue of Buddha in their hands, distribute blessings to the crowd of others and scatter petals of sacred flowers. On the first day of the New Year, beauty contests and flower exhibitions are held throughout Thailand, where the most beautiful plant, the most magnificent bouquet, and also a young girl who becomes Miss Songkran are selected.

On the second day, Thais en masse go to Buddhist temples for blessings. Local residents wear festive religious clothes, they go to the service with trays of fruits, flowers, all kinds of sweets and donations. The monks barely have time to endure them, which is why the place near the statue of Buddha 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 show respect to all guests and be sure to treat those who came to the temple without offerings. Returning home, the Thais sprinkle the whole house and the Buddha statue with water mixed with incense. When all the sacred actions in the dwelling are completed, the most interesting begins - the locals go out into the street, smear each other with multi-colored talcum powder, and then sprinkle them with water.

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

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

First of all, New Year in Thailand is a family holiday, that is, the day when it is customary to say words of love and respect to your loved ones. That is why, after people come from the temple, they sit down with the whole family at the table. Typically, 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 shower with water. Usually cold fresh water is used, the beneficial use of seawater is undesirable as it is considered contaminated. Typically, in April in Thailand, there is a pretty strong heat, so many Thais prefer to mix water with ice so that passers-by experience as much thrill as possible. Some locals flavor the water with fruit oils and incense.

It is believed that the Thai-style drenching ritual 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, you will drench them.

We draw your 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 skyrockets - if you do not want to pay ten dollars for a small piece of plastic, it is 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, you should not be surprised that some mischievous person will suddenly jump up to you and get dirty. Do not worry, for sure the next passer-by will definitely try to wash you of this dirt with water from a bucket - and this will be repeated indefinitely.

Europeans who decide to visit Thailand on New Year's days should adhere to some rules.

• It is advisable to leave your mobile phone in the 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 at least one 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 walking 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 your gratitude, try to memorize the phrase "Sawasdee pi mai!" However, if you can't remember it, just tell the locals "Happy Songkran!" - be sure, they will definitely understand you, and they will be very pleased.

In general, tourist holidays in Thailand during the New Year holidays have their own characteristics.

• On the eve of the holidays, the cost of vouchers rises many times over, the same can be said about air travel.
• Seats in good restaurants and luxury hotels are usually occupied for the entire holiday week well before New Years, 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, shopping centers in Thailand often arrange massive price cuts - at this time, you can buy things and accessories with discounts of 50-70%.
• And, of course, it should be understood that on this day it is crowded and very noisy everywhere.

See the next video for how Songkran's "Wet New Year" is celebrated in Thailand.