| |
One day before Songkran, family members gather to help clean home ,appliance and prepare offerings for the monks for the next morning. The following are things to do on Songkran Day.
1.In the morning, people go to the temple to make merits by offering food to monks and novices, observing the precepts, Five or Eight precepts and listening to the Dhamma talk.
2.Freeing birds or fish.
3.Donation is a way of merit making.
4. the afternoon, they perform the bathing ceremony of the Buddha images and monks and novices who live in a temple.
5. At this time, people from the rural areas who are working in the city usually return home to celebrate the festival and and ask blessing from the elders. It is known as Water Splashing Feast. It might be said that the Songkran festival is the Respected Festival to the elders or the Family Day. In addition, there is also a ritual performed by monks to the relics of the dead in order to pass on merits to them. This ritual is known as "Bangsukun Atthi". It will be performed once during the Songkran festival on any of the three days. Thus, when the time come, Bangkok temporarily turns into a deserted city.
|
|
6.Splashing water is a symbol of Songkran festival. People begin with bathing a Buddha image. They first make an offering of flowers, candles, and incense sticks to the image. Then they will sprinkle lustral water signifying bathing onto the image as a gesture of respect. A procession of the Buddha image will be made prior to the bathing. After that people will also bathe a Buddhist monk, usually the chief monk, by pouring over him lustral water. The chief monk will change to the new robe offered to him by laymen, then he will give a sermon and bless people who attend these bathing rituals. Besides, people will also call on elders and respected ones to ask for their blessings. After that, people will "play" by splashing water at one another.
|
|
