The Songkran Festival
The Songkran Festival is Thailand’s New Year’s celebration. It is held each year from April 13 through April 15. The word Songkran stems from the Sanskrit word, “Samkranti” which means literally, “Astrological Passage” because it coincides with the New Year of many South and Southeast Asian Calendars. However, there is more to this tradition than meets the eye. It is also dubbed the World’s Biggest Water Fight.
It Is Tradition
The largest water fight is a tradition that stems from throwing water onto others as a way of washing all the bad stuff away. Sometimes there are fragrant herbs which is also a part of the true traditional celebration. These herbs further increase the effectiveness of the cleaning.
The people of Thailand celebrate it by tossing buckets of water upon others. They may also use water pistols and using anything else that will hold water. To put it simply, it is the ideal time to throw water at your friends and family, even perfect strangers if you choose, and no one gets offended by your actions. Nor should anyone get offended, this is all done in good spirits. Young and old alike partake in these events.
It is a celebration that is a major part of the Buddhist calendar and a lot of people celebrate it in a big way that goes well beyond the water fight. There are people who celebrate by drinking and hosting huge parties. Perhaps that is why many people are choosing to stay home and invite a few friends over for a 3 day long pool party instead of the traditional tossing water.
Safety Comes to Thailand’s Songkran
Because of the fact that Songkran is a huge celebration, you cannot expect people to avoid partying. Partying includes drinking and unfortunately driving while they are drinking. During the yearly celebration there are accidents everywhere, and a lot of them are fatal. Therefore, many who celebrate choose a safer way of doing it. They combine pools with the celebration and everyone gets to play it a little safer.
With a pool you can have the water, you can wash away that bad stuff that may be plaguing you, or you can splash and throw water on others. Maybe add a floating island raft to make your pool even that much cooler. You can also drink all that you want to drink and the host of the party can hold all the car keys. They can lock the keys in a safe place where no one can get to them and the party can go on, accident and worry free.
Safety in the Pool
When it comes to your next water fight celebration, you can safely host a party that will ensure your family and friends stay safe during the holiday. Everything that can be done on the streets can be done in your yard. If people still want to venture out, there is no reason to stop them. If you hold their keys, you can be certain that they will not become another statistic.
Keep your Songkran Festival and all those that you know and love safe this year. Everyone will thank you for allowing them the option to use your swimming pool as a meeting ground and party spot. The good news it maintaing a pool nowadays couldn’t be easier, especially if you have intex pool pumps. These pumps are among the best in the industry. Who knows, it may be the biggest water fight in your neighborhood and perhaps it will be the safest.