With a splash and Sawasdee

Members of the Thai community in Bahrain celebrated their New Year festivities with a splish, splosh, splash in true traditional style!

Songkran, or the Thai New Year, is celebrated every year from the 13th till the 15th of April.
Over the years Songkran has evolved from a deeply religious ceremony to an event that is full of fun and merrymaking.
Water features prominently as Thai’s believe it will wash away any bad luck of the previous year.
These days throwing buckets of water or dousing people with jets of water gushing from hose pipes is the epitome of Songkran as opposed to the more delicate water splashing of yesteryears.
Every year the Thai community in Bahrain organises a Songkran day fair followed by the popular water throwing ceremony.
“Growing up back home in Thailand we used to really look forward to the Songkran day as it was that time of the year when everyone could let their hair down and have a lot of fun,” says Parisut Ward who recently moved to Bahrain.
So when Mantana Campana, a Thai married to an Italian, decided to celebrate Songkran at her house in Saar, all her Thai friends jumped at the opportunity of getting together and having fun.
“I belong to a traditional Thai family so Songkran for me was not just about throwing water. The morning of Songkran we normally went to our older relatives’ house with perfumed water in a little bowl with jasmine flowers to wash their hands and receive their blessings. After that we got together at some relatives’ house to throw water at the people passing in the street. Songkran signified family get-togethers and a lot of merry making.
Songkran is singularly the most important and traditional festivals in our part of the world.
Also as April is the hottest and the driest month in Thailand it was a great way to stay cool also,” says Mantana, who took her children to Thailand last year to experience the true spirit of Songkran.  
Songkran dates back to the pre-Buddhist Dtai people and was celebrated as a fertility ceremony.
Songkran is a solar event when the sun passes from the astrological sign of Taurus into Aries; hence it is the beginning of the new astrological year for the Thai community.
Songkran is not the only New Year being celebrated during this time of the year.
‘Vishu’ or the Keralite New Year was celebrated on April 14 and the Sri Lankan community celebrated the Sinhalese New Year on April 13 with their traditional festivities.