Songkran and the water blessing

About Songkran and the water blessing

Songkran marks the new year in the old Indian solar calendar, in mid-April. Before the public water fights begin, the central act is gentle: people pour scented water over the hands of elders and over Buddha images, asking for blessings and forgiveness, and the water is believed to carry away the previous year's misfortune. Many temples build small sand pagodas, whose grains are counted as merit, and monks sprinkle blessed water on houses. In Myanmar the same days are called Thingyan, and in Laos Pi Mai. Water is also poured over the hair of the old as a form of respect rather than as a game, a point sometimes lost in tourist coverage.