From the first moment it first entered my radar I was eager to experience the water festival that brings in the Thai New Year. The tradition is much more subdued than what you will find in the likes of Bangkok or Chiang Mai, involving young people politely sprinkling scented water on those older to wash away the previous year and welcome the new.
The scene I experienced was rather different to this peaceful image. For travellers and young Thai people in major cities, the Songkran festival is a boisterous party where no amount of protest will be enough to protect you from looking like you have just jumped in a dirty lake with your clothes on – and had too much fun doing it.
Though Songkran is celebrated everywhere in Thailand, as well as other parts of southeast Asia such as Cambodia and Laos, the biggest party is in Bangkok, which is where I found myself on the eve of the party, April 12th, two years ago. Arriving back from seven days on the islands of Koh Mak and Koh Kood, my travel buddy and I checked into our hotel then headed out in search of supplies: water guns and plastic pouches.
Temporary stalls selling water guns lined the streets, making choosing our weapons an easy task. We found two impressive, brightly coloured contraptions my childhood self would have envied for about 300 Baht (10 USD) each, and plastic pouches for a negligible cost. These pouches are just as valuable an accessory for Songkran as the water guns, as you are guaranteed to get rather wet and your belongings will certainly be ruined without protection.
With our supply run complete, we were ready.
Early the next morning, dressed in old clothes with bathing suits underneath and flip flops on our feet, water guns filled and a small amount of cash, we set out toward the main party around Khaosan Road. Our accommodation was approximately 20 minutes’ walk from the pulsating scene, but we were immediately drenched from buckets brandished by children and their parents – and these were not ordinary buckets. They were filled with iced water.
We would soon discover that many kind-hearted souls choose to fill their buckets and guns with the coldest water possible, which, even in the humid heat of April in Bangkok, is not quite what I would call an enjoyable experience. Still, it was fun immediately.
If you are not the kind of person who can laugh at getting dirty, showered with water and having the clay-like din sor pong substance smeared on your face – another tradition said to ward off evil and protect – then Songkran is not for you. In fact, you should probably hide inside if you happen to be in Bangkok on April 13. We saw many who seemed unaware of the celebration or believed themselves impervious, sitting primly in tuk tuks making their way slowly through the crowded streets becoming increasingly annoyed as people ignored their pleas for mercy.
Around Khaosan Road the crowd intensified, and we came across stages with performers, and people selling water – both to drink and offering water gun refill stations. Soaked, filthy and attacking everyone we passed with streams of water we made our way through the crowded streets, stopping to dance and enjoy a few of the famously large cocktails to be found in these most touristy parts of Bangkok.
The only part I did not enjoy as we wandered for hours through the city was the people who deemed it a good idea to spray water directly into my eyes, prompting me to advise the wearing of sunglasses if you’re lucky enough to enjoy sunny weather.
Finally, as the day turned to night, we decided it was time to recover with a feast. The party around Khaosan Road extended long into the night as we returned to our hotel to change, though we soon learned we needn’t have bothered as we were quickly drenched again as others continued the celebration while we tended to our rumbling stomachs with Pad Thai and spicy chicken with basil.
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Courtney Gahan is a serial expat, traveller and freelance writer who has bartered with Moroccan marketeers, seen the sun rise at Angkor Wat and elbowed her way through crowds on NYE in NYC
