A Beginner’s Guide to New Year traditions of the Mekong River region
With new year celebrations taking place this week for a number of cultures in the Mekong River region, we invited Naomi Seaton to write about the new year traditions in Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos.
Images with captions generously provided by Alicia Warner
April marks the peak of the hot season for most of mainland Southeast Asia! It is an especially festive time of year for the cultures of the Mekong River region. It is the start of the new year in Thailand, Laos, Myanmar, Cambodia and even in some parts of Vietnam and southern China, known by a multitude of names:
Thai: สงกรานต์
Lao: ປີໃໝ່ລາວ or ສົງກຣານ
Myanmese: သင်္ကြန်
Cambodian: បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី
Though traditions vary from place to place, each cultural practice shares striking similarities with those of its neighbours due to the region’s common history and deep roots in the early Buddhism that was exported from India.
Thailand: Songkran สงกรานต์
Songkran is the Thai New Year, officially observed between April 13-15th. The word ‘Songkran’ (สงกรานต์) comes from the Sanskrit for ‘movement’ or ‘transit’, referring to the apparent migration of the Sun from the Pisces zodiac to Aries in the celestial sphere, the annual cycle of which is traditionally considered by Thais to begin and end in April. Songkran is a much-anticipated national holiday, so different provinces in modern times have staggered the dates of the celebrations to give people a chance to return home for the holidays. It is therefore not unusual for Songkran to last around a week between April 12 - 20th, depending on the region.
In Thailand, most people return home to spend time with loved ones they might not have seen during the year and pay respect to the deceased. Songkran was originally a family affair, though it is more common now to celebrate with the wider community.
‘The biggest part of Songkran for Thais is the coming together of families. No matter where family members work across the country, this is a time where everyone is guaranteed to flock back home to be together - probably the only time Bangkok empties out! We would often fly from London just to be together for Songkran.’ - Alicia Warner
For example, Thai temples across the UK like Wat Buddhapadipa in London or Wat Buddharam in Leeds mark the New Year with merit-making, food festivals and Buddhist gatherings as a focal point for the Thai community abroad. Songkran traditions are ancient; most can be reliably traced back to the Ayutthaya period (1350- 1767 A.D.) and as the new year coincides with the height of summer, rituals have often involved water as a way of staying cool in the hot weather.
Though these water-based customs are rooted in Buddhism, modern practices have given way to the world-famous ‘Water Festival’ where people enthusiastically splash each other to cleanse themselves of the previous year.
It is highly popular with international tourists and the Thai diaspora alike as a way of indulging in light-hearted fun with a water pistol or two, but Songkran is about so much more than that.
‘While most people around the world know Songkran for its giant water fights, there are much more subtle traditions that take place too. Rod Nam Dum Hua (รดน้ำดำหัว) involves asking the wise elders of the family for blessings and as a sign of humility. All of the younger members of the family gently pour jasmine scented water into the palms of the eldest of the household.’
Traditional activities enjoyed by Thai people across the world include:
1. Making merit การทำบุญตักบาตร
Waking up very early in the morning to give rice offerings and alms to passing monks is a very common practice of making merit. People might do this in front of their houses or go and take the opportunity to give offerings at the temple in return for blessings of good fortune for the beginning of the new year.
Image: @cottonbro
2. Washing statues of the Buddha การสรงน้ำพระ
Water scented with a traditional Thai perfume called nam ob (น้ำอบ) is the quintessential scent of Songkran that floods every Thai person with nostalgia. It is filled with fresh jasmine buds, rose petals and magnolias, then poured over Buddha images as an offering and blessing of good fortune for the year ahead.
3. Hand-washing ceremony การรดน้ำผู้ใหญ่
An important ceremony involves washing the hands of elders in the family or the community with scented water to pay respect in return for their blessings. Thais place great importance on caring for their elders and the wisdom that they pass on, so younger members of the family will do the pouring, thanking their elders and asking for good fortune. Flower garlands of jasmine, magnolia and roses are also commonly offered as gifts for the older generation.
4. Releasing fish and birds การปล่อยนกปล่อยปลา
A very popular tradition considers the release of captive birds or fish back into the environment as a form of merit-making which cleanses accumulated sin. It is often done at temples following other merit-making activities.
5. Sand pagodas การนำทรายเข้าวัด
Bringing sand into temples and the construction of sand pagodas, much like sand castles on a beach, is an ancient custom. Both young and old enjoy this activity by sculpting stupas into ornate shapes and decorating them with fresh flowers, white lines, flags, shells or small stones.
The belief is that wealth and success will flow with the sand grains as they enter temple grounds and make its way towards you for the coming year.
Laos: Pi Mai ປີໃໝ່
In Laos, Songkran (ສົງກຣານ) is more widely known as Pi Mai (ປີໃໝ່) which literally means ‘new year’ and it is celebrated for three days between April 13-16th, depending on the calendar year. In 2021, the festival falls on April 14-16th and is observed in many of the same ways as it is in Thailand. Lao people throw flour in addition to water during the festival and enjoy many similar Buddhist traditions such as making merit, sprinkling Buddha images with scented flower water, hand-washing ceremonies with elders and sand stupa building.
Many Lao also choose to set free small animals like tortoises, birds, fish, crabs or eels to rinse themselves of accumulated sin and build merit.
Dancing, beauty pageants and traditional music are also well-loved and time-honoured practices during the New Year, serving as a golden opportunity for many children and the Lao diaspora to immerse themselves in traditional art or get involved with preserving intangible culture.
Myanmar: Thingyan သင်္ကြန်
The dates of the Thingyan (သင်္ကြန်) festival are calculated according to the Burmese calendar but tend to be celebrated in the middle of April for three days with Buddhist festivities. In 2021, the dates for Thingyan fall on April 13-16th. Traditionally, Thingyan customs originate from a Buddhist version of a Hindu myth so each day of the festival is observed by a different Buddhist activity.
Burmese people celebrate with their own Water Festival on a-kya nei (အကြနေ့) which represents an episode of water-throwing featured in the original myth of Thagyamin. Burmese people also enjoy traditional music and dancing as well as observing gadaw (ကန်တေ), a ceremony of paying respect to elders and those of higher standing, to show obedience and gratitude in the same spirit that embodies the hand-washing ceremonies of Thailand and Laos.
Attending temples is also common practice though it is important to note that the ethnic diversity of different states has generated many other beautiful traditions such as sandalwood grinding ceremonies in Rakhine state or delicious New Year treats unique to each region like Khaw Mun Haw from Shan state or Thingyan Htamin from Mon state.
Image: Cheng Q
Cambodia: Choul Chnam Thmey បុណ្យចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី
Cambodian New Year is also observed in the middle of April, separated into three days called Moha Sangkran (មហាសង្រ្កាន្ត), Vireak Vanabat (វិរ:វ័នបត) and T’ngai Loeng Sak (វារៈឡើងស័ក). In 2021, Choul Chnam Thmey will fall between April 14-16th when many Cambodians, both at home and abroad, will indulge in familiar customs such as the building of sand pagodas, washing Buddha images with scented water and the washing of elders to ask for blessings and luck.
Traditionally, people spend time with their families at home, including those who have passed away by offering prayers and incense.
They may dress up to go to the temple to make merit and some people still observe the tradition of washing their faces with holy water in the morning, their chests in the afternoon and their feet at night to cleanse themselves for the coming of the New Year.
Notably, Cambodians love to celebrate with colourful displays of music and dance. Ornate folk dress with the full set of adornments is often worn by both men and women for dancing and drumming while traditional games like chol chhoung (ចោលឈូង) and leak kanseng (លាក់កន្សែង) are still played in some places to preserve a rich and long-lived Cambodian heritage.
Naomi Seaton is mixed Thai-British. She spent most of her youth growing up between the UK and Thailand before moving to London for university. She is now a graduate student and researcher based in Bangkok, Thailand.
This post was created as a non-exhaustive introduction to New Year celebrations in Thailand, Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.
We - besea.n and Naomi - recognise that this resource should not be regarded as the definitive authority on the Lao, Cambodian and Myanmese new year traditions, and strongly encourage readers to do their own research from other creators from these communities, alongside this introductory resource.
Here is a non-exhaustive list of useful accounts:
@vietlaokhmer (Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam)
@khmer.identity @cambodianbloggers (Cambodia)
@humansofmm @listenupmyanmar (Myanmar)
@laossupply @lao_in_the_south (Laos)