Songkran Festival
Songkran is coming! On April 13-15 we will be celebrating the traditional Thai New Year, with of course a lot of water, talcum powder and flower shirts. Whether you like it or not, you will probably get drenched at every street corner! It’s a lot of fun, but just be careful if you drive a vehicle, as a lot of accidents happen each year.
So, what will happen in Cha-Am? The festivities will start on April 13th, in front of the “Tesaban” building (this is close to the train station). At 7:30am there will be a blessing ceremony (”tak-bat song-nam phra”), and the official opening ceremony will be held at 1:00pm. A procession will start from the Long Beach hotel and go to the Tesaban, where some traditional games will be organized (like sack racing). Starting at 7:19pm, at the same place, you can enjoy a comedy show and some look tung music. Of course there will be shops everywhere, selling food and various things. Not sure about alcohol, as there will probably be a ban during the festival, mostly to limit the risks of drunk-driving.
If you’re worried about getting wet, please note that it should be limited to April 13-15 on the beachfront. But “mooban Cha-Am”, which is the part of the town around the market and behind the railway line, will celebrate on the 17th.
If you have never experienced the Songkran Festival, we have some advice for you. First, unless you hide in your hotel room or your house during three days, you will get wet. Very wet. So you should dress accordingly, and do not carry any important papers on you, or any device that is not waterproof. If you need to carry your passport or credit card or any important papers, keep them stored in a plastic pocket (easy to find as there are plenty of them for sale). Same for your phone, digital camera, etc. If you get stopped by Thai people and they pour water on you, please react gently: they are just wishing you a happy new year and plenty of luck! Last but not least, as we said before, better avoid driving, especially a motorbike and especially if it’s a rented bike and you are not comfortable with it yet.