BANGKOK — As this year’s Songkran comes to a close for most of the country, let’s take a look at the more unusual ways the tradition is celebrated.
While Thai New Year is now most often associated with alcohol-fueled water fights and loud street parties, some communities have their own take for the festival, from coconut-peeling races to flower pagodas to a record-breaking “human wave,” because why not.
Kanchanaburi – Monks under fire
Not even holy men can escape getting soaked in Kanchanaburi’s Thong Pha Phum district. Per local tradition, Buddhist monks are carried around while templegoers pour water mixed with jasmine over them.
Phetchaburi – Coconut championship
In Phetchaburi’s Don Yang district, farmers and coconut enthusiasts engage in a contest to peel the most coconuts in five minutes. To promote the community’s heritage, contestants use traditional wooden coconut graters.
Khamphaeng Phet – Folk wagons
Khamphaeng Phet’s Lan Krabue district has a long history as a farming community – its name literally means “Buffalo Plain.” Folk belief has it that the district has been making buffalo-teamed wagons for over 300 years. Locals use these wagons to carry Buddha figures and monks around town to give out blessings.
Khon Kaen – Smashing a world record
Revelers on Khon Kaen’s Khao Niew Road not only enjoyed a water fight, but also managed to set a new world record in the process. In an event organized by local tourism authorities, a “human wave” won recognition by the Guinness World Records Book as the world’s longest – lasting 17 minutes and 14 seconds.
Pathum Thani – Thai meets Mon
Mon people have settled in Sam Khok district of Pathum Thani for centuries, lending a Mon touch to Songkran festivities. Worshippers with Mon descent sewed long pieces of cloth called “swan tails” and wrapped them around a pagoda built to resemble the great Shwedagon in Myanmar.
Uthai Thani – Flower pagodas
Miniature pagodas were made from a wide range of local flowers in Uthai Thani’s Baan Rai district and then paraded around the community.
Nong Khai – Historic Buddha
A highlight every Songkran for residents in Nong Khai province involves trying to pour water on a historic Buddha statue for blessings as it is passed through a massive crowd. The statue, known locally as Phra Sai, is believed to have been forged during the Lan Xang Kingdom hundreds of years ago.
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