Happy Son Kran

Son Kran is the Thai New Year. It’s also celebrated to a certain degree in other SE Asian nations. The official holiday was actually April 13-15 so I am a little late on posting about Son Kran. Better late than never. Compared to last year, my Son Kran experience this year was vastly different. I declined the opportunity to meet up in Chiang Mai (aka the epicenter of Son Kran) with a big group of fellow Volunteers and opted for a more low-key local celebration. Timing was everything. One of my good friends from Iowa State who is currently studying in Hong Kong had a window of time to come visit me in Thailand, which just happen to fall during the Son Kran holiday...in addition to culminating red shirt tensions in Bangkok. Weeks before, we had planned for me to meet her at the airport in Bangkok and stay for sight seeing for two days then, head to my village out into the big unknown of Issan for the remainder of the time—leaving enough time for her to get back to Bangkok and fly back to Hong Kong. A couple days before I headed to Bangkok to meet her, the situation in Bangkok turned even more critical and travel to Bangkok became essentially off limits. Since we had everything arranged already and it was such late notice, I sought permission to pick up my friend and proceed with caution through our plans. Our time in Bangkok before heading out to my site was trepidatious and surreal yet, engrossing. I met my friend at the airport on Saturday morning and we went straight into the city. Once she came, we got to catching up and having taken president of talking about what we’d been up to the last few years, the current situation of our immediate surroundings almost all but slipped our minds, only to come falling at light-speed back to the forefront of our attention later on that afternoon. That was April 10, 2010. Follow the link: Bangkok April 10 to read more about these events. Suffice to say, the city was in chaos with the main commerce centers closed and the two opposing sides mounting higher stakes against their adversaries. Even the sky train transit system was ceased by the army. In awe, I explained to my friend this was more action (of such caliber) than I had seen in Bangkok, or Thailand at that, since I had been here. It must have been a lot to take in for her, seeing as how that was her first day here. Despite it all, I’m satisfied that though the first impression may have been dubious, that the rest of her stay was pleasant. We made the most of the situation, obviously taking security precautions for ourselves. Staying away from the danger zones, we got to see some of the city at least—if only capturing what could be seen from the window of a taxi. She got some shopping in and we had some authentic Bangkokian food. Getting out of Bangkok was a little tricky, as I suspected it would be given that everyone and their mother were on an exodus out of the city. The swift descent en mass from the city was not only in light of the chaos but, foremost, because it was Son Kran, which is the biggest holiday in Thailand and everyone tries their hardest to get home. (I’m thinking the likes of “I’ll be home for Christmas” only insert “Son Kran” where Christmas goes and replace the Christian connotation associated with that song wherein one should assume a Buddhist connotation and now, we’ve got it right).

Tricky it was, but not impossible. After all VIP, first, second, and otherwise class buses we’re ruled out, I resorted to the van service. In a way, I’m lucky that I live in an area of Issan where there are a lot of migrant workers because you can almost be guaranteed of some sort of transportation at any time, not matter the circumstance. The catch being, is migrant work the best for the people...? And what does that say about the lack of sustainable work out here? I digress. So, we got to my site via overnight van. It was packed. Not only with people but also with what seemed like many, if not all, of their Earthly belongings. Plus, a cat and an infant (add in 2 foreign young ladies and we’d be a regular circus troupe). It was my second overnight van ride in 4 days time and I was exhausted. But, we made it. Time suddenly slowed to the village-style paced I’ve become accustomed to. My friend, obviously noticing a change in pace, asked how I keep myself occupied in such a quite, mellow atmosphere. One develops her ways =) I guess having her here made me realize how much I’ve gotten used to living in rural Thailand. Things always seem more evident when an outsider can come and shed light on things. Another big hovering nuance was, of course, the heat. I felt bad for my friend because it can get beastly hot in my house and the time she was here was no exception. I’m used to it to an extent. I take frequent showers and I carry a can of prickly heat cooling power with me wherever I go.

Good thing she came during the water-throwing festival (a huge part of Son Kran) From April 12-14, we relished in the festivities and fun of Son Kran. On the 13th, we joined a procession from the school to the temple. It basically consisted of a group of people (mostly older women) walking throughout the village accompanied by a band blasting traditional Thai music through giant speakers. All the while we danced and let onlookers dump water on us and plaster talc powder on our cheeks—a vital part of Son Kran. They shouted gleeful expressions of good luck and happiness in the New Year. In case you didn’t know, the water throwing/pouring signifies purifying oneself of the old year’s events and starting anew clean and fresh. It’s also pure genius since it is a perfect relief for the hottest month of the year. At the end of the procession, we continued to have friendly water fights at the temple while pausing intermittently to watch the monks chant. Inside the temple a special ceremony was unraveling. In fact, the whole procession and ceremony at the temple was not exclusively to celebrate Son Kran. Shortly before Son Kran, it was decided that the temple would be renovated and expanded, thanks to the donation of a former villager who had become a successful businessman. The details are somewhat unclear to me, but what is apparent is that this man gave a very generous donation to fund and oversee the construction and therefore, villagers and monks were giving him a special ceremony. Lucky for my friend, there were many cultural customs that ensued on this particular day. One of which was “Pou Khan”. This is a part of Thai Buddhism, but the ceremony was conducted in Khmer plus the traditional Pali, which made it even more exclusive. A formal Pou Khan ceremony includes a shrine of banana leaf ornaments and offerings that is carried to the temple and people gather ‘round it. Usually a lay leader conducts various chants in Pali (in this case Khmer as well). Each significant part is concluded with the pouring of water (by the lay leader) and everyone being connected through holding the hand or the shirt tail of the other person—signifying a connection to the energy being exerted by the speaker. In this instance, he also sprinkled water on the audience, my friend and I included (reminiscent of sprinkling Holy Water or incense in Christianity) Following, everyone take pre-cut strings dipped in perfume water and one string at a time, they tie them to each other’s wrists. While tying them to the wrist, they offer a blessing of good will, good luck, this that and the other. I’m getting déjà vu because I think I explained this in a previous post. In any event, the tying of the string is like giving someone good, positive energy. A balance if you will. When big events happen like weddings, births, getting well, getting sick, building new houses/offices, moving to or from somewhere, or say... someone giving a large sum of money for renovating a temple, then a Pou Khan Ceremony will likely ensure. We had one for all the new trainees when we first came to Thailand.


During the remainder of my friend’s time at my site, we mostly just hung out with my Thai friends, savored my neighbors delicious cooking, had ‘water wars’, took frequent catnaps, and strolled the neighborhood a couple times. I couldn’t help but notice how everyone was quick to notice my friend and flood her with 20 questions. They were overly enthusiastic to take pictures and tend to her needs. Ahh, I remember those days. It was somehow affirming that my existence here has moved on to another ambiguous realm; because, it’s apparent people don’t treat me that way any longer. One of my co-workers put it as... “we see your face everyday and we know everything about you already, it’s not so exciting anymore.” I recognize have a much more independent existence here than when I first started. On the other hand, my relationships with people are relaxed and for the most part intimate, as I’ve grown to know people. In many instances, we’ve worked past formalities which, is evident in what my friend said. So, that drives the proverbial point home that the second year for a Peace Corps is vastly different than the first year. Mine continues to unfold.

As for my friend, it was so nice to see her, catch up, and share a little of my world here with her. We somehow managed to get her on a bus back to Bangkok in time to catch her flight. The time went by fast but it was well spent. She got a good dose of Thailand, city and country life, harmonious and conflicting circumstances, and a peek into Thai-Khmer culture. I spent the rest of the holiday investing in a new cell phone, hand washing a backload of laundry, reading, and relaxing.



Here’s a video of someone giving and receiving Pou Khan