Advertise Home of the Global Indian | Events | San Jose CA | India Currents Subscribe
  • Home
  • Articles
    • Community
    • Features
    • Health & Wellness
    • Heritage Arts
    • Lifestyle
    • Opinion
    • Pop Culture
    • Views
    • Voices
    • Young Professionals
  • Events
    • Events Calendar
    • Event Submission
  • Classifieds
  • Directory
  • Archives
  • About
  • Search
Select Page

Thailand Plays Holi with Talcum Powder

Share This Page:

  • Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Google+ (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Pinterest (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on Reddit (Opens in new window)
  • Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new window)
  • Click to print (Opens in new window)

by Ritu Marwah | Apr 1, 2018 | Travel | 0 comments

Thailand Plays Holi with Talcum Powder

Like what you read?
Stay connected with us!

Get our award-winning articles
delivered directly to your inbox.
View sample

Sign Up Now
Every year in April Thailand erupts into a street party that lasts nearly a week. Songkran is officially observed between 13th and 15th of April as a three day national holiday. It is marked with smearing of colorful or white talcum powder on everyone you meet, and soaking them with water. For weeks ahead of Songkran, also the New Year, you’ll see giant water pistols and colorful Hawaiian-style shirts sold on the sides of roads.

 Image: WikiCommons

The largest and wildest party probably is held in the Chiang Mai area of Bangkok. The entire 5 km length of Khao San Street,  mostly known as the entertainment district of Patpong, is packed with thousands of young Thais carrying anything that can spray water. Fire trucks with their incredibly powerful water hoses drench the delighted crowds. The whole street turns into a water fight spectacle. Police checkpoints set up at both ends of the street try to confiscate bottles, cans and the white powder. DJs set up inside plastic shelters and podiums for dancing. The atmosphere is electric.

In north Thailand people collect sand and take to their local monastery. They smear the sand on either cheek and utter “sa-wat-dee pi mai,” or “Happy New Year.” People also smear each other with white powder (din sor pong) mixed with water or with a colorful paste made of colored talcum powder. The use of chalk during the water festival originated from the practice of monks marking blessings with colorful chalk. And water-dousing is a take-off on a cleansing ritual, where water from Buddha’s statues is sprayed on people.

The word “Songkran” comes from the Sanskrit word saṃkrānti (Devanāgarī) literally “astrological passage,” meaning transformation or change. The term was borrowed from Makar Sankranti, the name of a Hindu harvest festival celebrated in India in January to mark the arrival of spring. It coincides with the rising of Aries on the astrological chart and with the New Year of many calendars of South and Southeast Asia, in keeping with the Buddhist/Hindu solar calendar.

Songkran is celebrated by the Malaysian Siamese, as well as in Cambodia, Laos and Burma. In Laos the water is mixed with flowers and traditional perfume before spraying on others. Songkran falls on slightly different days in each of these countries, but largely takes place over three days between April 12 and April 16.

In the Bay Area the Buddhist community in Fremont will celebrate Songkran at the Wat Buddhanusorn temple on Saturday-Sunday, April 14-15.

Ritu Marwah is the Features Editor at India Currents and loves Holi celebrations.

 

 

 

…You Are Our Business Model!

More people are reading India Currents than ever but advertising revenues across the media are falling fast. And unlike many news organizations, we haven’t put up a paywall – we want to keep our journalism as open as we can.

So you can see why we need to ask for your help. Our independent, community journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce. But we do it because we believe our perspective matters – because it might well be your perspective, too.

If everyone who reads our reporting, who likes it, helps fund it, our future would be much more secure. For as little as $5, you can support us – and it takes just a moment to give via PayPal or credit card.

Give Once

Suggested Articles

  • SongKran: A Thai HoliSongKran: A Thai Holi
  • Paradise in Ko SamuiParadise in Ko Samui
  • A Thai Little IndiaA Thai Little India
  • Painted Faces in the DesertPainted Faces in the Desert
  • The Money TrailThe Money Trail
  • A River Runs Through ItA River Runs Through It
  • In Praise of the Hajj Cough

Looking for Ways to Advertise?

We reach over 150,000 readers every month.

Contact Us

PO Box 731156
San Jose, CA 95173
(408) 913-1612
publisher@indiacurrents.com

Copyright © 2018

Terms & Conditions | Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the India Currents Blog Via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Recent Posts

  • Missing Village Rockstars from Assam at Oscars 2019 February 22, 2019
  • IC Exclusive Interview With Nandita Das February 19, 2019

Blog

Read Here

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Google
  • Youtube
  • RSS

Design & SEO by: KM Guru, LLC