Songkran - Buddhist (Thailand/Laos/Cambodia) New Year

Like our modern calendar has Christian origins, the Buddhist religion operates on it's own/different calendar. The New Year falls mid-April, we've noticed each country celebrates slightly different dates. With the new year of course comes cleansing. Traditionally, everyone cleans their houses, we noticed some monks in white as opposed to their typical orange, obviously lots of offerings at temples, and I'm sure many more traditions than we even caught on to. It's also a big family time - it seemed that lots of people traveled out of the cities back to hometowns. It kind of reminds me of Christmas but celebrated over Spring Break (week long, hotter weather, little party mixed in). Lots of families were dressed in matching shirts and eating/drinking together ALL day long. 

But the biggest part of Songkran is getting drenched! So the tradition started out as a sprinkling of water (I'm assuming originating from a monk) over family members, again as a symbol as cleansing. That has turned into utter chaos on the streets! On the street in front of those families eating are the kids and teens/young adults with a baby pool or trash can sized containers full of water, with hoses, massive squirt guns and full on buckets just drenching EVERYONE that passes by - walking, riding bikes/motorbikes, cars, buses, taxies tuk-tuks...everyone. And not nicelymind you. Usually as ferociously as possible - bucket in the face, slow pour down the back if you're unlucky enough to be caught in traffic, etc. At first, I was convinced we were getting it worse because we were foreigners but I witnessed fair treatment to everyone I saw. 

We heard all about it in Thailand, particularly Chiang Mai where I think may be the largest celebration. They go so far as to make sure all the water is properly iced before throwing to make sure it's extra shocking. But we had moved on to Laos by the time the celebrations began - 4 days BEFORE the official new year started. We had a nice welcome as soon as we crossed the border while on a tuk-tuk (which has no walls) with all our stuff, a little girl just creamed us and screamed "Happy Lao New Year" right after. It was almost non-stop after. We strategically walked down certain streets to avoid the bucket dump but there was no avoiding the kids with squirt guns. 

The celebrations escalated the entire time we've been in the country with people on the side of streets in Luang Prabang, to that plus truck beds full of kids riding around drenching people in Vang Vieng to serious full-on, city-stopping partying across the streets of Vientiane. I forgot to mention that along with each water dumping spots and trucks was massively LOUD music, mostly techno. I've seriously never seen anything like what we saw last night In Vientiane. Full structures set up with strobing neon lights. Teenagers in the roads with whistles jumping in front of and stopping cars and motorbikes to drench them. Music and chaos everywhere. It was pretty insane. 

I have to say I learned one thing this week - I'm officially old. All this getting drenched did not amuse me. Scott handled it with a laugh and I tried, I really did, but mostly I just wanted to rip the head off of anyone that drenched me. I would have probably had a lot more fun had we just stopped for a day, bought our own weapons (water guns), drank the day away getting wet and throwing our own water. But unfortunately Scott and I both got pretty sick for a day each about 2 days apart so that didn't help the mood. Plus, we were trying to sightsee and travel during the holiday - not smart nor recommended. So I was usually trying to get somewhere so it was annoying to get water thrown straight in my face. The worse was on our way out of Vang Vieng on the last day of the celebration. We were picked up by a minibus that would take us to the bus station. First we had to go all over town to pick up everyone else going to the bus station. When we had about 9 people on the bus, some kids danced into the middle of the street forcing the driver to stop, they then drenched the driver just pouring water all over him. THEN they got ON the bus and threw a bucket over ALL of us and all of our stuff. Soaked for a 3 hour ride. Oh yea, because of all the mayhem on the streets the whole way down, that 3 hour ride turned into a 6 hour ride but thankfully we had air conditioning and could keep the windows shut! 

So it was interesting and somewhat fun to witness this holiday but if there is ever a next time, I'm going to plan to stay put and enjoy from one location. And definitely get drunk - that would have helped too :) 

Obviously we couldn't really take photos since we didn't want to risk the electronics but I got a few shots from the bus last night while we were stuck in traffic of two truck beds just drenching each other and some kids waiting for their next victims: 

 Those little bags you see littering the street were makeshift water balloons.