Celebrating Songkran in Chiang Mai, Thailand - My travel diary

Dear Steemit Community!

I am super excited to tell you about my first time celebrating Songkran in Thailand.
I always wanted to see and experience this crazy party by myself. As I was living in Thailand, I finally had the chance to be part of this huge celebration and all I can say is that it was just amazing.

For those of you who have spent extensive time in south-east Asia will know what Songkran is. You will also probably have experienced it once or twice. For those of you who don’t, it might sound unbelievable – a nationwide water fight that lasts three days! Three days of happy people throwing water, parties and everyone in Thailand is celebrating. Tourists and expats are also invited to join the madness and many come just in time to celebrate this holiday. But what exactly is Songkran?

Songkran is the Thai celebration for their new year. Always occurring in April, Songkran dates vary year to year depending on the moon but the holiday usually falls between the 13-15th April. Songkran is also the time where all schools are closed and almost all Thai’s get a three-day holiday and many travel to different provinces (especially smaller cities or Chiang Mai which is known to have the best celebration) or home to spend the holiday with their family.

Songkran represents new year but the act of throwing water symbolizes many different things. For one it shows the act of throwing out the old stagnant feelings from the last year, washing away bad Karma. It also shows cleansing and cleaning, getting ready for the new year. It is also a symbol of welcoming the rain, which in turn means that the important rice season can begin. Many times after Songkran, the rain indeed arrives!

Since April is also the hottest month, the cooled water is quite refreshing then! While traditionally water was poured carefully over your shoulder or back, these days water is thrown rather than poured. Take care when riding motorbikes during this holiday since people will also throw water on people on motorbikes. Every year there are numerous accidents during Songkran.

It is advised that you book your trip in advance to avoid disappointment or last-minute prices as Songkran is the busiest time of the year. Chiang Mai and Bangkok are the best places to celebrate Songkran. Chiang Mai’s old city is where all the madness happens in the North, so get there early and secure a prime location. Don´t you have a water gun or bucket? Don’t worry, people sell them all over the city in the weeks running up to Songkran.

It definitely doesn´t get boring during Songkran. Forget driving a motorbike, or taking a taxi. Use your legs instead! To really enjoy Songkran you should head to the city center through small streets, where locals like to splash foreigners and where you can find a lot of delicious food and cheap alcohol.
Tha Pea Gate is the main point in the city center and you will find most people partying here. There are huge stages set up all around and the water level is so high that it almost reaches your knees.
If you don’t want to get too tired, find a nice little bar and stay there for a bit. You can have so much fun with the owners by having water fights with them and ambushing passing tourists and locals.
When the sun sets, head to Zoe In Yellow, Warm Up or Spicy. During Songkran parties never stop. Just remember that it is ok to splash water at each other only until 6 pm.
We spent our time at Maya shopping mall. It´s a huge mall with several stages outside where Thai bands are performing.

There are also a lot of small stalls along the streets, selling beer and other alcohol and you will be tempted to get drunk. Remember that the weather is really really hot so don´t forget to drink some water as well.

During Songkran, the most important thing is to close your mouth during a water fight. Especially around the moat. If you see someone approaching you with a bucket of water close your mouth, so you don’t swallow any disgusting liquids. Usually, the water is taken from the moat and it is not clean at all. Many people get sick from swallowing a little bit of the moat water.
But you can always refill your gun or bucket along the streets and there, they also have fresh but super cold water.

Even Songkran means party and fun, there is one huge thing which you have to keep in mind. Thais are very friendly and tolerant of visitors coming here to have fun. However, they can get angry and frustrated with someone, who doesn’t respect the Thai culture. You really don’t want to deal with an angry Thai. Things to remember are: Do not splash water on old people, monks and parents with very small babies. Do not disrespect portraits of the King, or images of Buddha. Other than that. Have fun and enjoy.

Songkran is a lot of fun but I have some tips for you which make the big party even more fun:

1.)Buy a plastic waterproof bag for your phone and money. There is no mercy for anyone during Songkran so you will get wet.

2.)Bring a water gun with you to join the water fights. One thing you should never do is to splash in somebody´s eyes. You should in general not aim in somebody´s face.

3.)Dress appropriately. It’s going to be hot and you’re going to get wet, so best to wear something light. Thai culture is conservative. Walking around in a bikini or shirtless isn’t respectful.

4.)Don’t forget sun protection.

5.)Invest in a cheap waterproof camera to save your memories of this amazing festival.

6.)Have fun and smile. Songkran is a time where the country gets happy. It’s hard not to smile during a water fight.

For me, it was one of the craziest celebrations I´ve ever seen. Songkran is an amazing time to come out and play! If you have never experienced a nationwide water fight before then now it´s the right time to book your ticket to Thailand and play in the water! There is nothing else like Songkran in the world and it’s a must do experience at least once.
So much fun and love at one place. Also the people we´ve met were so cool.
If you don´t like to get wet it might not be the right celebration for you but doesn´t I think you should really see this amazing party once in your lifetime. Three days of party and laughter.
The Thai style of celebrating New Year is really special.
It´s definitely an amazing experience so don´t miss it out. I can highly recommend it.

I hope you guys liked my story and I would be very happy about comments or any feedback.
Thank you so much for reading :-)

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