Songran - Sook Sarn Wun Bee Mai!

I woke up one morning, not long after arriving in Thailand and this is what was happening!

It was Songran - the Thai New Year - April 13th. For three days, the residents would be celebrating. The streets were lined with tubs, bowls, basins and buckets. Small dishes and cups littered the sidewalks. For three days, we would be involved in a fantastic water fight. Water was thrown over everyone and everything! Anyone who moved was drenched with bowls of water. Vehicles were not safe. Whatever drove past - trucks, bikes, bicycles - would be stopped as crowds of people blocked the vehicle's path and water would be tossed upon everyone in sight.

For the first day, I was a little confused and spent a lot of time in a bit of a daze - stunned by the intensity of the world's biggest water fight!

Being the town's only foreigner, our street was busy and I was a regular target.

What an unbelievably fun time this was!

There I am - near the red barrel of water, face covered in powder (in the top photo). The face powdering is a great way for the Thai guys to run up to girls and hold their faces in their hands. On any other occasion, this would be terribly frowned upon. The lady in red is my host mother and she is standing out the front of her home and shop. I used to sleep in the upstairs, right side room.

On the second and third day of Songran, the family's red ute was driven to the house and we all piled into the back. Three large barrels of water were lined up through the centre of the ute. We spent the days driving through the streets, throwing water at everyone and being drenched by everyone who passed us. Whenever two utes met, the drivers would stop and litres of water would be thrown.

Some groups were a little sneaky and had ice cubes slowly melting in their barrels of water. The water they threw over us was freezing cold and always such a shock.

The huge water fights are just one way to welcome in the new year.

My first Songran started in the morning, when my host mother and her family took me to the town's oval. Rickety old school tables were lined end to end - stretching around the perimeter of the oval. On the inside side of the tables, countless saffron-robed monks moved along the tables in a slow procession. The townspeople were lined up on the other side of the tables and everyone had brought food. With each approaching monk, we placed some of our food into their bowls. I remember putting eggs and rice into their bowls. At each corner, the monks would empty their bowls onto a prepared section of plastic.

Having been in Thailand for only two weeks, I was a little lost about what I was supposed to do and what it all meant!

It was certainly an amazing experience!

I have to smile when I notice that my little Thai cousin, Owah, is always right beside me in these photos. My two host sisters are also in this next photo.

I still remember seeing piles of food at each of the four corners. So much food was being donated to the monks and the temples as people welcomed in the new year. They were making a fresh start and earning merit by doing good.

Soon after we had handed our food to the monks, I was given a tiny bird. It was in a small, bamboo cage. I didn't know what I was supposed to do - but gestures indicated that I was to open the cage and let the little bird go free. This was another way to earn merit. Another new and interesting experience.

My little cousin is still standing by, watching.

My youngest host sister is behind us. Songran Happy Thai New Year