Post by Soutpeel on Apr 7, 2016 8:10:38 GMT 7
A splashing good time
Where to go wet and wild during Southeast Asia’s various water festivals
April is here and in several Southeast Asian countries, the old traditional year is once again giving way to the new circle. The Sun God is already heating up the air from hot to far too hot, depending on where you are - Chiang Mai, Mandalay, Luang Prabang or Bangkok. And the region's cities, long connected by a "water culture" (and more recently by a network of low-cost carriers), will as usual be answering the Sun's call with water.
From Jinhong in China's South to Luang Prabang in Laos' North, from Yangon in Myanmar to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, millions of Asian folks will be gathering with buckets full of water at city landmarks to dance, sing and pray their way into a new year.
Here are the best cities in which to soak up both water and culture over the next week.
MANDALAY, Myanmar
Date: April 13 to 15
Known as Thingyan in Burmese, the water festival runs at the same time as Songkran and involves (depending on how old you are) extreme water splashing or gentle pouring of water. Over in Myanmar, the New Year is welcomed with a week-long celebration across the country, but the best place to visit is Mandalay, where the action and festivities take place around the city moat and the walls of Mandalay Palace. Big and small stages are erected along the roads for people to sing and dance. Colourful processions and parades add a carnival atmosphere.
LUANG PRABANG, Northern Laos
Date: April 14 to 16
If the traditional New Year needed a home, it would probably be Luang Prabang - the attractive town on the banks of the Mekong River in northern Laos. Legend has it that King Kabilaprom had seven daughters (known as Nang Sangkharn), but he lost a challenge to Thammakuman and had to pay the penalty - decapitation. Since a monarch’s head couldn't touch the ground, it was placed on a tray and kept on Mount Krailard, to be brought down every year by one of his daughters for a procession. Known as the Sang Klan Long Festival, the legend is recreated annually for Pi-mai Lao (Lao New Year), with the revered Buddha Image of Prabang, senior monks seated on a palanquin and beautiful local women competing for the title of Queen of Sang Klan. Find your way to the bank of Mekong on April 14 and admire the thousands of sand stupas. The locals make them to keep the evil spirits at bay over the New Year celebration.
CHIANG MAI, Northern Thailand
Date: April 13 to 16
Chiang Mai draws many thousands of visitors over the Thai New Year for a thorough soaking. The city plays it both gentle and wild when it comes to Songkran. Early in the day, there will the traditional and gentle sprinkling of water on temple grounds. As the day heats up, shots of water will be fired from a high-power pump and there will be cold water in balloons. The target is, of course, anything moving. Expect to finish the day looking like a wet puppy. The festival culminates at night with cultural shows at Thapae Gate.
JINHONG, Southwest China
Date: April 13 to 16
The water festival is very obvious in Jinhong, since the locals celebrate it every day to earn tourist dollars. For around 50 yuan (Bt280), tourists can enjoy throwing buckets of water at the locals - usually young women in colourful costumes and flowers. However, the real deal comes in the next two weeks when the city celebrates the Dai New Year. For three days, the streets and surrounding villages will be totally wet as the locals roam around armed with buckets of water, hoses, water-pistols and water-filled balloons. Nobody goes home dry. Follow your nose to the banks of MeSkong (or Lanchang as it is called by the Chinese) for cultural shows and dragon boat races.
BANGKOK, Thailand
Date: April 13 to 15
The traditional Songkran Festival will be celebrated all over Bangkok including at Wat Suthat, Wat Pho and Siam Square shopping district. But the centre of the action is still the backpacker ghetto of Khao San Road. For a really wet-and-wild scene, this small street is definitely the place to be. Armed with pump-action water cannons and buckets of coloured powder, thousands of fun-lovers will be soaking everything that moves. Starting from April 12, though punters can expect the fun to start on Sunday, until there is nothing left to soak, Khao San Road and Santi Chaiprakan Park in Bang Lamphu play host to the unofficial International Songkran Festival, the most boisterous of the Asia's water festivals.
SIEM REAP, Cambodia
Date: April 13 to 15
Angkor Wat, with its rustic moats, is the near-perfect setting for the water festival. Siem Reap, once the seat and the soul of Cambodia's art and culture, hosts Sankranta and this year is expecting to draw more than 500,000 visitors to watch Khmer traditional art performances and games and the chess competition
www.nationmultimedia.com/travel/A-splashing-good-time-30283382.html
Where to go wet and wild during Southeast Asia’s various water festivals
April is here and in several Southeast Asian countries, the old traditional year is once again giving way to the new circle. The Sun God is already heating up the air from hot to far too hot, depending on where you are - Chiang Mai, Mandalay, Luang Prabang or Bangkok. And the region's cities, long connected by a "water culture" (and more recently by a network of low-cost carriers), will as usual be answering the Sun's call with water.
From Jinhong in China's South to Luang Prabang in Laos' North, from Yangon in Myanmar to Phnom Penh in Cambodia, millions of Asian folks will be gathering with buckets full of water at city landmarks to dance, sing and pray their way into a new year.
Here are the best cities in which to soak up both water and culture over the next week.
MANDALAY, Myanmar
Date: April 13 to 15
Known as Thingyan in Burmese, the water festival runs at the same time as Songkran and involves (depending on how old you are) extreme water splashing or gentle pouring of water. Over in Myanmar, the New Year is welcomed with a week-long celebration across the country, but the best place to visit is Mandalay, where the action and festivities take place around the city moat and the walls of Mandalay Palace. Big and small stages are erected along the roads for people to sing and dance. Colourful processions and parades add a carnival atmosphere.
LUANG PRABANG, Northern Laos
Date: April 14 to 16
If the traditional New Year needed a home, it would probably be Luang Prabang - the attractive town on the banks of the Mekong River in northern Laos. Legend has it that King Kabilaprom had seven daughters (known as Nang Sangkharn), but he lost a challenge to Thammakuman and had to pay the penalty - decapitation. Since a monarch’s head couldn't touch the ground, it was placed on a tray and kept on Mount Krailard, to be brought down every year by one of his daughters for a procession. Known as the Sang Klan Long Festival, the legend is recreated annually for Pi-mai Lao (Lao New Year), with the revered Buddha Image of Prabang, senior monks seated on a palanquin and beautiful local women competing for the title of Queen of Sang Klan. Find your way to the bank of Mekong on April 14 and admire the thousands of sand stupas. The locals make them to keep the evil spirits at bay over the New Year celebration.
CHIANG MAI, Northern Thailand
Date: April 13 to 16
Chiang Mai draws many thousands of visitors over the Thai New Year for a thorough soaking. The city plays it both gentle and wild when it comes to Songkran. Early in the day, there will the traditional and gentle sprinkling of water on temple grounds. As the day heats up, shots of water will be fired from a high-power pump and there will be cold water in balloons. The target is, of course, anything moving. Expect to finish the day looking like a wet puppy. The festival culminates at night with cultural shows at Thapae Gate.
JINHONG, Southwest China
Date: April 13 to 16
The water festival is very obvious in Jinhong, since the locals celebrate it every day to earn tourist dollars. For around 50 yuan (Bt280), tourists can enjoy throwing buckets of water at the locals - usually young women in colourful costumes and flowers. However, the real deal comes in the next two weeks when the city celebrates the Dai New Year. For three days, the streets and surrounding villages will be totally wet as the locals roam around armed with buckets of water, hoses, water-pistols and water-filled balloons. Nobody goes home dry. Follow your nose to the banks of MeSkong (or Lanchang as it is called by the Chinese) for cultural shows and dragon boat races.
BANGKOK, Thailand
Date: April 13 to 15
The traditional Songkran Festival will be celebrated all over Bangkok including at Wat Suthat, Wat Pho and Siam Square shopping district. But the centre of the action is still the backpacker ghetto of Khao San Road. For a really wet-and-wild scene, this small street is definitely the place to be. Armed with pump-action water cannons and buckets of coloured powder, thousands of fun-lovers will be soaking everything that moves. Starting from April 12, though punters can expect the fun to start on Sunday, until there is nothing left to soak, Khao San Road and Santi Chaiprakan Park in Bang Lamphu play host to the unofficial International Songkran Festival, the most boisterous of the Asia's water festivals.
SIEM REAP, Cambodia
Date: April 13 to 15
Angkor Wat, with its rustic moats, is the near-perfect setting for the water festival. Siem Reap, once the seat and the soul of Cambodia's art and culture, hosts Sankranta and this year is expecting to draw more than 500,000 visitors to watch Khmer traditional art performances and games and the chess competition
www.nationmultimedia.com/travel/A-splashing-good-time-30283382.html
