Things I love about Thai New Year (Songkran)

You might recall how I was a bit of a Scrooge in the last article that I wrote about the Thai New Year a.k.a. Songkran. This is a nationwide holiday of sorts where the entire country erupts into a water war that goes on for days.

For the most part after more than 10 years of this I find the revelry to be more annoying than fun, but as a balance I would like to highlight the things that are great about Songkran even if you don't want to participate in the party.

The joy it brings to the kids

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What child wouldn't want to engage in a water battle that is going on literally everywhere? Yesterday I was riding my motorbike and passing all the (very polite) partiers until I spotted a group of kids who were below I would say 10 years old. They were very happy to be able to spray me with water and since it was a bunch of giggling little kids, I didn't mind either. I think this day is likely something they look forward to all year round and who am I to deny them this?

the long holiday brings families together

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While it is common around the world, Thais tend to spread out in their professional lives. Generally this incorporates moving to a larger city such as Bangkok or Chiang Mai although many professionals have very modest roots from a small village in the countryside. Since Thais tend to have a 6 day workweek, there are very few opportunities to go and visit mom and dad. These reunions are normally filled with a large group of extended family members getting together for a bunch of food and visiting and well, who doesn't like that?

Everyone gets a much deserved break

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Generally speaking, Thais work a lot more than westerners. Unless you work for a bank for the the government, a 6-day workweek is standard and many tourism oriented professions will not even have that. I know many Thais in the industry that only get 1 or 2 days off a month during high season and the Songkran break is 4 or 5 days long. This much deserved break is certainly something that everyone can look forward to. I personally feel as though Thai people work entirely too many hours and the happiness that such a long break must bring them is probably something everyone is completely overjoyed about.

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So there you have it. In my first article I said i was fed up with this holiday but that is only because of a few hotspots of bad activity that happens in the major party areas. However, I think that overall the holiday is a great one because it gives everyone a chance to relax and revisit loved ones. Sometimes I think I take my own life for granted because I have an atypical schedule and get lots of time off. I enjoy seeing happiness in others so therefore, I am extremely happy that this long and important holiday exists.