pakkret happiness

The Songkran Festival have brought vivacity, gaiety and smiles with foreign tourists joining in water splash, a pleasant smell of white powder and water-soaking experience. Thai-Mon/Raman Water Splashing Tradition “Songkran” is a Sanskrit word which means to pass or to move into. It also refers to a period of the sun’s entry into a new zodiac sign. In Mon dialect, the word “Pajatah” is used to represent the beginning day of a year. On that day, Thai-Mon people will express their gratitude towards the elderly and join in the family reunion. During Songkran, people will make merit, observe precepts and pay homage to the Triple Gems of Buddha, Dhamma and Sangha. Celebrations are held in every village Young graceful ladies are selected to be Miss Songkran. On Songkran’s day, Thai-Mon people in Pak Kret will make merit, offering food to monks at a temple in the early morning and pouring water mixed with Thai fragrance and flowers over Buddha images and ancestor remains in the afternoon. In the evening, they enjoy and take time watching folk plays and musicals, such as Mon-Rum, Pee-Pard Mon, Bon, and Tayae-Mon or Saba-Mon in the evening. To celebrate Songkran’s festival, a beautiful parade is set up featuring ceremonious processions decorated in a traditional native style. Ones who join the parade have to dress up meticulously neat in Mon costumes. In the parade, some people will carry swan poles, centipede flags, or glasses of syrup, caged birds and tanked fish, which are going to be released back to nature for merit making. Additionally, folk performances are also arranged in combination with the parade. During Songkran, freshness and satisfaction emerge not only from water which is splashed over one another, but also from spiritual commitment to Buddhism of Thai-Mon people in Pak Kret that nurtures the heart and soul. With faith, Songkran in Pak Kret, thus, has a profound identity with mesmerizing charm and captivating look. 81