Farang Farang

In case you somehow missed it, here is a video from the Songkran festival in Chiang Mai. Songkran is the Thai new year. The new year is 2551, which is the time since the Buddha’s life, just as we measure our years against that of Christ. Something interesting about Songkran festivals is the presence of water.

People splash each other with water and it has become quite a sport over the years. The water ritual started off as something much more meaningful, though. The role of water in many rituals, including this one, is symbolic of washing away the old and sullied parts of life so we can properly arrive in the new, glorious time. This is also seen in our own culture in the form of baptism.

Enjoy!

Phuket has a very interesting vegetarian festival you should check out if you are ever there at the right time. This year’s festival is at the end of September and the beginning of October. In the video you can see that as part of the observance, people pierce their cheeks with varying size objects, from thin rods to full-size swords.

An explanation from the festival’s web site:

The Phuket Vegetarian Festival is an annual event held during the ninth lunar month of the Chinese calendar. It is believed that the vegetarian festival and its accompanying sacred rituals bestow good fortune upon those who religiously observe this rite. During this time, local residents of Chinese ancestry strictly observe a 10-day vegetarian or vegan diet for the purposes of spiritual cleansing and merit-making. Sacred rituals are performed at various Chinese shrines and temples and aesthetic displays such as walking barefooted over hot coals and ascending ladders with bladed rungs are performed by entranced devotees known as “Ma Song”.

See the video below for a first-hand look at the festival: