The Origins of the Songkran Festival
by- Chiang Mai University Graduate School
The Astrological New Year and
the Thai Lunar Calender Thailand's Songkran Festival is by far the most
important event of the year for the Thai people. It's a time of fun and
a special time for new year ritual and respect for water, the most
important element in the agricultural culture of Southeast Asia.
Songkran falls in mid-April every year and has its origins in ancient
astrology and the position of the sun. The term Songkran itself means,
''a move or change in the position of the sun from Aries to Taurus,'' it
falls sometime between April 10 and April 18 and in Thai tradition it
includes the celebration of the end of one year -- 'Troot' -- and the
beginning of a new year - 'Songkran'. The phases of the moon and the
lunar calendar also play an important role in determining the Thai New
Year. Thus, the Thai New Year is a product of astrological as well as
lunar features according, to the old Thai lunar calendar.
Today, the official Thai New Year
falls in the fifth month of the Thai lunar year. As we will see, at one
time in the past it was celebrated in the first lunar month. The
reasons for the many factors that determine the timing of Songkran, as
well as the reasons for the change from the first lunar month to the
fifth lunar month, are partially found in the origins of the Tai peoples
in southern China, to their culture of rice farming throughout the
ages, and to their adherence to a Buddhist philosophy which incorporates
a large degree of astrological belief from ancient Hindu culture. These
features as well as the Thai systems of days, dates, months and seasons
are the subject of this article, and it is hoped that from these
readers will gain a deeper appreciation for the underlying significance
of the Thai New Year.
THAI ORIGINS AND THE THAI NEW YEAR
The Tais migrated southward into Thailand from their farming,
areas of southern China long ago. With them they brought their culture,
customs and beliefs which were based on a combination of Chinese models
and local climatic features of crop sowing, and harvest times. The
calendar was lunar and based on the farming cycle of their area, which
began in the first lunar month of Deuan Ai (late November - early
December: See Chart 1: Months of the Thai Lunar Calendar) and ended in
the twelfth lunar month of Deuan Sib Sorng (late October - early
November).After migrating southward to the more tropical climate of
Thailand and adapting to new cultures already in the area as well as
somewhat different weather patterns, a change took place and the flew
Year eventually came to be celebrated in April.
BUDDHISM AND THE THAI NEW YEAR
Buddhism has a relation to both the astrological and lunar
features of the Thai calendar. Having originated in northern India, in a
Hindu setting Buddhism often carried with it astrological ritual
features from Brahman India. In addition, as Buddhism easily
accommodated many other beliefs, such as the Tai animism, it was early
adopted by the Tais of southern China long before the founding of
Thailand. Many old temple structures built by Tai kings had an
astrological base in terms of design and construction and these were
built to represent the universe and its astronomical bodies. The aspect
of the position of the sun and its movement from Aries into Taurus would
have become important to the Thais in later years because of the
emphasis placed on auspicious movements of heavenly bodies, and it would
have become even more important to the Thais because of the importance
placed on the Thai 12-year cycle in conjunction with the 12 astrological
signs of the zodiac.
Another aspect of Buddhism as it
evolved in Southeast Asia relates to the lunar feature of the Thai
calendar and the Thai New Year. In Buddhism, the phases of the moon are
extremely important as indicators of auspicious days of each month for
Buddhist holy days. These auspicious days always fall on one of the four
following moon-days: the 8th day of a Waxing moon (Keun 8 Kumm), the
15th day of a waxing moon (Keun 15 Kumm), the 8th day of a waning moon
(Raem 8 Kumm), or the 15th day of a waning moon (Raem 15 Kumm). Chart 3,
Phases of the moon for each Thai month shows the waxing, and waning
moon for every day of the year by the month and the total number of days
in each month.
This chart of moon phases is
taken from the ancient Siamese calendar. Above, in reference to Buddhist
holy days, and on the chart in far right column, top, the word 'Kumm'
is used and means 'night'. This is a unique feature of Siamese calendar
date reckoning where the ancients used the term night instead of 'day'
because night is when we can see the moon. Taking the lunar feature even
further, because it is of such importance in Thai reckoning there is a
special form for providing the date and day in the Thai lunar style.
Buddhism
clearly plays an important role in the astrological and lunar features
of the Thai calendar and the Thai New Year, but the basis of the old
lunar calendar of Siam is believed to have been a agriculture and the
annual growing season.
SIAM'S OLD LUNAR CALENDER
In the days prior to the
formation of the first Thai kingdom of Siam, in central Thailand, that
rich agricultural area was ruled and managed first by the Mon Dvaravati
Kingdom (5th to 9th centuries) and then by the Khmer Angkor Kingdom
(10th to 12th centuries). The Mons and the Khmers were both highly
skilled agriculturalists and developed advanced irrigation and rice
farming systems by making use of the Chao Phraya River. When the Tais
assumed control of the area in the 13th century, they adopted the
Mon-Khmer systems. This highly skilled agricultural culture, which
became strongly attached to Buddhism, was a society based almost
entirely on these two features, and that combination has been passed on
to many Thai countryside areas of today.
Again referring
Months of the Thai Lunar Calendar, we see that in the old calendar,
which was based on the growing seasons, the first lunar month occurred
sometime between late November and early December. From this we can
assume that at that time either weather patterns were quite different
from those of today or the peoples of old designated the New Year as the
time of the rice harvest rather than a new growing season. Today in
many of the rural villages of Thailand, farmers continue to celebrate
their New Year according to the old calendar, that is, at the end of
November, despite the fact that the New Year is now in April, which is
in the 5th lunar month of the old calendar.
Phases of the
Moon and Date & Day, according to the old lunar calendar -- shows
how the old lunar dates for Thai New Year are reconciled with the
contemporary western calendar dates. The first two days together make up
what is called the 'Troot Festival', where 'Troot' has a double meaning
:'the end of something combined with the beginning of something new'.
The larger Songkran Festival as it is celebrated today is comprised of
four days. The first two are the 'Troot Festival', and the second two
immediately follow and are a time for relaxation and merriment after
attending to family and religious duties.
