Thailand is known as the golden land of temples and elephants, with many intriguing cultural beauties and fabulous sightseeing. Visiting this country, you are warmly welcomed by hostile residents and have the chance to create a mesmerized and unique experience. In Thailand, Songkran is one of the most famous festivals, which takes place on Buddhism day annually, equivalent to April 13th to 15th in the calendar. If you join Thailand tour packages during this period, what should you do during this festival? Check the five activities below!
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Things To Do During Songkran In Bangkok, Thailand
Join The Water Fight
The water fight is not only a childhood game but also a tradition in Thailand. No matter who you are, a child or an adult, male or female, young or old, you can join this intriguing part of the festival. Why do Thai people love this activity? Needless to say, it’s fun and exciting! You can let your hair down and jump into anyone with a water gun, a water bucket, a water bubble, etc. Anything that can contain water, it’s your weapon.
Digging into the Thai religion, you will understand why they participate in this festival. Thai people believe getting wet on Buddhist day is luck for an entirely new year. However, it’s taboo to use unclean water to splash others. Although Songkran happens all over the country, Chiangmai is the most dynamic place in the Songkran festival. As a result, it appears in most Thailand tour packages to visit this golden land of temples and elephants.
Make A Splash
The splash happens in temples, which is also known as the Buddhist shower. Thai people will bring fruit and vegetarian food to the temples. This activity takes place on the second day of the Songkran festival. Besides, Thai people also bring clothes and other necessities to the monks. Afterward, they will say good words to their friends and family and start splashing special water spoiled with herbal on each other. The herbal water brings luck and cleanliness to Thai people in the new year. In other words, it can refer to the lucky money in China and Vietnam.
Watch Traditional Performances
If you visit Thailand during Songkran, you cannot miss Thai traditional performances, which are the results of the thousand-year history of this land. When performing, dancers will wear many elaborate gold color accessories and Chut Thai – the traditional clothing of Thai people. Typical features of Chut Thai are its design, pattern, and color. The female design includes a Pha Nung and Pha Biang, which look like a long skirt with a symmetrical design to reveal the soft shoulder of a woman. Whist, Sompot Chong Kben, and a blouse work for both genders.
You can admire four traditional and folk dances during the Songkran festival, namely Kohn, Lakhon, Lakhon Lek, and Fawn Thai Dance. While dancers present other performances directly, Lakhon Lek is a puppet dance. Kohn is performed widely in Thailand, but it used to happen in royal ceremonies only. It requires a lot of expressions and gestures of different characters, including monkeys, narrators, demons, etc. Outstanding features of the dance are the mask, the fierce battle, and the number of actors.
In contrast, Lakhon is full of drama scenes with the placidity of female dancers. There are many variants of this dance, but they all tell a story of Thai Ramayana. It’s once in a blue moon to admire Lakhon Lek due to the complicated technique. Additionally, people seem less interested in this work of art. However, you have a chance to wat a Lakhon Lek during the Songkran festival. What a lucky event! Among these folk dances, the Fawn Thai Dance (a.k.a Fawn Leb) is the most impressive with the sophisticated fingernail dance. The dancers will wear 6-inch gold color brass fingernails when performing the elegant flower-shaped dances.
Visit Sacred Temples
As its nickname, Thailand is famous for a large range of temples, which mainly worship Buddhism. You will visit famous sacred temples in Thailand tour packages: Wat Rong Khun, Wat Arun, Wat Rong Seua Ten, Sanctuary of Truth, and so on. Although they have the same vibe of holiness and peace, each temple owns unique features. Wat Rong Khun and Wat Rong Seua Ten locate in Chiang Rai. They are renowned for the English name White temple and Blue temple relatively. Their beautiful colors and carving architecture have created their own uniqueness.
Meanwhile, Wat Arun creates a spectacular view with an impressive Chinese porcelain design. In Thailand tour packages, you will visit this temple in the late afternoon to admire the “Temple of Dawn” – Wat Arun with its fabulous beauty. Although listed in the top temple list in Thailand, the Sanctuary of Truth isn’t officially a temple. From far away, you will find it looks like a palace. If you want to know more about Thailand’s famous temples, do not hesitate to follow us in the next articles!
Party Hard At RCA
It would be a mistake to forget about the vivid aspects of Thailand during the Songkran festival. Imagine how amazing it is to return to a modern and hustle pace after a few days of diving into traditional Thai activities! RCA, standing for Royal City Avenue, is a nightlife entertainment center in Bangkok with a clubbing scene. You cannot keep calm once joining this crazy party every night!
What to expect from RCA? International DJs, live concerts, professional dancers, and borsch! With four blocks, RCA can contain thousands of people at a time. This activity might not include in your Thailand tour packages, but do not forget to join the vivid nightlife at RCA. Are you ready to play hard?
Final Thought
Millions of tourists buy Thailand tour packages to enjoy a one-of-a-kind festival in this golden land of temples and elephants – Songkran. You can join the water fight and turn back to childhood, splashing water on strangers with fun and excitement besides, visiting temples and admiring traditional dances. Believe it or not, once you visit Thailand, you will come back to explore it more! Let’s prepare for your next trip!
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