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There is a legend behind the Songkran Festival. Before the Buddha era, there was an elder millionaire lived with his wife. Unfortunately, they hadn't got any heir . Next to the millionaire's mansion, there was a home of a drunk man . He always laugh at the millionaire that had no child .
He worshiped the sun god and the moon goddess to give him a child. Three years later, the millionaire still had no child. So,h e desired to worship the god of big banyan tree. Soon after, The Indra knew his wish. He made the millionaire's dream come true by giving him a son called "Thammabal". When Thammabal was 7 years old, he was very intelligent and able to recite scriptures in public. One day, a god named Kabilla Phrom who loved to bet learned about his fame. So, he the god wanted very much to test Thammabal Kumara's knowledge. The god descended to earth and posed three riddles to the boy, with a wager that if Thammabal Kumara could solve them, the god would give him his head. But if the boy failed to come up with the right answers within seven days, he would lose his head to the god.
The three riddles were:
1. Where did a person's aura exist in the morning.
2. Where was it at noon.
3. Where did it appear at night?
The boy pondered over these riddles for seven days. Yet he could not figure out the answers. Fortunately, while he was lying in despair under palm trees, he overheard a pair of male and female eagles laughing about they would soon feast on the body of a boy who would not be able to solve three riddles. During their conversation they disclosed the answer.
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On the day of judgment, Thammabal just repeated what he had heard from the eagles, which turned out to be the correct answers.
1. In the morning, a person's aura appeared on his face, so he washed it.
2. At noon, it was at his chest, so he wore perfume there.
3. And at night, his aura moved to his feet, so he bathed them.
As he had lost the bet, the god kept his word and cut off his own head. However, the head of Thao Kabilla Phrom was known to have some very strange qualities: If it should touch the ground, the earth would catch fire; if it should be left in the air, there would be no rain; and if it should be dropped into the sea, the sea would dry up.
To save the earth from any of these calamities, the god's seven daughters placed their father's head on a footed tray and carried it in a procession around Mount Sumeru before setting it in a cave at Mount Krailat with many offerings.
Every new year on Songkran Day, the god's seven daughters took turns bringing out the god's head and carried it in procession around Mount Sumeru. |
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