Give thanks! (Udonthani, Songkran 2008 )
Today is the last day of Songkran, the Thai New Year festival. It falls on the hottest time of the year, and it is true!! So no wonder why people start to wet others by throwing water.
I thought it’s something completely wild, like sometimes young people are in Italy in summer: throwing water to each other, running around, lots of laughter, being wild. But it is not so. Of course in places like Kaosan Road in Bangkok it is:
Night at Kaosan (Songkran 2008 )But in all other places that I have been, many were polite. Some did not throw me water when I was carrying some bags (One child with water gun said, “Oh, she’s carrying some stuff…”), when my friends asked them not to water because we were carrying luggage, etc.
Songkran’s beauty was something else, though. It’s a festival to give thanks to people around you. You give little bouquets of flowers (not quite bouquet… Little flowers of jasmine, generally, tied to each other with a string) to hands of your parents and many people whom you want to give thanks. Then water the flowers giving words of thanks and blessing, then join your palms.
It’s just lovely and nice… enough to fall in love with Thailand 
Btw, I got a free souvenir from Kaosan! Look:
Souvenir from Kaosan (Songkran 2008 )
A little bead of flower is just stuck in my flip flop! The nicest thing my flip flops got so far, I guess.
