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Phi Mai Muang:
CHIANG MAI NEW YEAR
COMES IN WITH A SPLASH

As everyone knows, New Year's Day is one of the most important dates in the Chiang Mai calendar. We call it Songkran, and right here I want to tell you some of the things that go on around this particular celebration - not forgetting of course something about the custom of throwing a little water around. It occurs right in the hottest time of the year, so who minds getting a bit wet, between dawn and sunset?

Here in the North of Thailand we call this festival Phi Mai Muang, and it's my favourite. Let me give you a word of warning, though. It's not a very good time to be travelling, since just before the big days, everyone scampers back to their place of birth to be with friends and family. Forget trains and buses unless you've pre-booked. For the three or four main days of the festival, everyone's busy having lots of fun and dowsing each other with water. And afterwards, there's the rush to get back to work. So plan beforehand. And Chiang Mai especially. Not everyone goes off to other places to be with their family. It sometimes seems the whole world's brought its family to Chiang Mai. Hotels are chock-a-block. Likewise restaurants and all the after-hours places of entertainment. The Rose of the North for that particular week is definitely the place to be at Songkran.

Of course, when it comes to Phi Mai Muang Chiang Mai style, you're getting it straight from the horse's mouth here and now, because I'm kon muang (a native of the city) myself, and when I was a little girl (a few years back of course) I lived with my grandma who is 94 year old now, and heard what she had to say about it.

But first things first. Traditionally the festival takes place over three days, from 13th - 15th of April every year. The first day is sangkhan-long day, sangkhan means "age", and long means 'go' - the passing of a moment when we all get older by one year, in other words. I always used to be scared on the night of 13th April, because my grandma would wait until late at night for something called "sangkhan" and when it passed our house, she said, "There! Can you hear the sound of sangkhan passing our house". I thought then that sangkhan was a kind of spirit or ghost. As you know, most children are scared of ghosts, so I used to block up my ears and try to sleep. It's different now, of course. Spirits and ghosts are all around us all through the year. Why be specially scared at Songkran?

The second day is wan nao, which is the day when we should try to speak as well and sweetly as we can, because nao means 'rotten' - 'the day of decay': the traditional belief is that ill-chosen words on this day will somehow come back to dog us the rest of the year. One strategy is to stay home in the morning, but go out with the family in the afternoon carrying buckets of clean sand to the temple, so as to make chedi sai - small conical stupas made of sand and stuck all over with tung or brightly coloured flags. I can recommend that you take a look around the temples, because in some of them and at Tha Pae Gate as well, in addition to other places around the walls, you'll see some fine examples. Competitions too - at the Buddha Satarn, for example, at the river end of the Tha Phae Road.

The 15th - wan payawan - is the really important day, from the point of view of ritual, because it's the time of the change from one sign of the zodiac to another. The government and the royal household organise both Buddhist and Brahmanistic rites which will be of importance to the rest of the year's events - though they're not limited to Thailand, since similar beliefs and activities are held and acted on throughout the mainland - in Burma, the Lao PDR and among Tai racial groups in China and Vietnam which have been influenced by Indian culture since ancient times.

Anyway, on this third day, local people will wake up early and take all the things they've specially prepared to their temple. I love this part of the festival, since it makes us all feel we belong in one big family both inside the city and out in the country too. We wear our best clothes and carry particularly delicious foods in a salung, a big silver bowl. That's to say, for ordinary people it'll be silver coloured - stainless steel probably. But for the rich and for municipal and state ceremonies, they'll really be bowls of heavy silver, beautifully worked all over with traditional scenes and designs.The other colourful items featuring in the little processions and excursions will be the flags I've mentioned - the tung hanging from sticks, with pictures of the signs of the zodiac as well as animals and spirits. These will usually be stuck into the chedi sai in the temple courtyard.

And what do you know! The 15th is a particularly auspicious day for me, since it's my birthday. It's a specially important time to go to pay one's respects at the temple, since we Buddhists believe that making merit on that day will bring good luck and positive karma for the rest of the year - or perhaps the rest of one's life.

SONGKRAN
Schedule 2005

	11 April Activities Location 7 p.m. Annual Celebration for Phra Buddha Sihing Image Wat Phra Singh 12 April Activities Location 8-9 a.m. Salutation Ceremonies for protective spirits Municipal Office 9 a.m. Salutation Ceremony to the Three Great Kings of Lanna Three Kings Monument 13 April Activities Location 6 a.m. Food Offering to the Monks Kad mua (Lanna Market) Thapae Gate 7.30 a.m. Old Lanna Parade and the Cycling Parade of the Umbrella-holding Beauties TAT to Thapae Gate 8 a.m. Lanna Spirit Offering Contest Thapae Gate 8-9 a.m. Opening Ceremony of Chiang Mai New Year Ceremony Thapae Gate 8.30 a.m. Girls Riding Bicycles Beauty Contest Thapae Gate 9 a.m. Ceremony of moving the Phra Buddha Sihing Image Wat Phra Singh 1 p.m. Pre-Procession Formation of Phra Buddha Sihing and other Famous Images in Chiang Mai Nawarat Bridge 2 p.m. - 9 p.m. Procession and Bathing of Phra Buddha Sihing and other Images Governor's Residence 7 p.m. - 12 p.m. Cultural performances Wat Phra Singh 14 April Activities Location 1 p.m. - 2 p.m. Sand-carrying Procession to Temples on Thapae Rd. TAT Office to Thapae Gate 15 April Activities Location 1 p.m. Parade to pay respects to the Governor of Chiang Mai Ratchadamnoen Rd. to the Governor's Residence

Last year, I had a chance to talk with my aunt who is 68 years old about Songkran in the past because I heard from many people that this festival has changed a lot from the past. She said that's right, this festival's now become much bigger and noisier, with lots of really rough water-throwing. But in the past it was different. People would concentrate much more on the traditional activities than just throwing water.

Well, everything changes, and Chiang Mai is famous as a centre of Songkran in the north, especially for the water war. Starting from 13th April, the moat around the city will have great crowds all round it, particularly teen-agers and the young-at-heart. I think it started to be this way about ten years ago. The municipality obliges by keeping the moat full of relatively clean irrigation water as well as the decorative items that are now there all the year. My advice to you is wear your oldest clothes and not carry things that can get damaged, because if one thing's certain, any time during the hours of daylight, particularly if you're young, female and a farang, you're going to be a prime target for everyone else. And if you've got transport, keep the doors locked. There's nothing unsporting aboiut opening car doors and throwing in buckets-full of water. In fact the bigger the car, the higher the bonus points. As for motor-cycling during the hours of daylight - better don't!

And a bit more on the same topic. Specially appropriate dress is local muang style, but if you just want to play with water all day just short pants and a T-shirt will be fine. For women it's not wrong to show off your assets but you need to be aware there will be plenty of drunks around. Last year, the government warned girls about too sexy outfits but I still saw some. My feeling is we have the right to wear whatever we like, but there's no harm being a little bit careful. Besides, this is a good time to wear local dress.

As to ceremonies, on the first day, there will be the procession of holy Buddha images such as the Phra Buddha Sihing from the railway station the east side of the river, to Wat Phrasingh. I like this event very much. The procession features local performances, dances and drum shows with villagers who come from every part of the city and province. It's the custom to gently and reverently pour nam sompoi, water perfumed with safflowers, dried acacia fruits and jasmine, on the Buddha images as they pass.

Around town there are many activities from beauty and craft competitions, local style markets redolent with exotic foods of all kinds, and Tha Phae gate especially will be the centre for all kinds of performances and exhibitions: but crowded, of course. Most of the Buddhist ceremonies will be held at Wat Lokmolee on Maneenoparat Road, in front of the north stretch of the moat, and the Buddha Satarn on Thapae Road.

And when does it all come to an end? The 16th - that's Saturday this year - is wan pakdee: and as the previous day was the day when the old year passed away, that's New Year's Day for us Northerners. Theoretically, water-throwing will be over, but don't be surprised if the little boys especially aren't still around with guns at the ready for a couple more days at least (and longer out in the boonies). We adults on the other hand will be cooking food flavoured with kanoon, the fruit of choice because its name means 'support', and that's what we're looking for in our lives in the coming year.

The other important thing we do is dumhua, gently pouring small amounts of water on the shoulders of our elders, to show our respect. My grandma is the eldest person in our village, so many people come to dumhua her. They also bring food, small presents and nam nampoi. In return, she gives the well-wishers her blessing, wishing them peace and prosperity and tying cotton threads round their wrists. I'm always among the first doing the rounds of relatives and elders so that by the 16th you can't see my wrists for the protective threads.

There are more stories than I can tell you in the space here about Songkran, but let me finish with advice about dressing right. If you're a male and want to follow the Northern fashion, go along to Warorot Market any time during the day. Up on the first and second tiers you'll be able to buy morhom at a very reasonable price (particularly if you can bargain) - that's a loose blue shirt and trousers, locally made. For women too cotton tube skirts and blouses are waiting for you. And if you want any other colourful items - tung, flowers, local foods and receptacles - not to speak of the weapons of the water war - you'll find everything you want there.

Well, summer's arrived - not only the temperature but the cicadas have been telling us that. And with the passing of the old year, we're getting the message that itself never gets old. ‘Life is short' - so let's enjoy it while we can. And you can't be in a better place at this time. So have a nice festival!

Sawatdee Phi Mai, ka.

(Text © Mim Saisin 2005)