The first of the rites took place on Sunday morning and saw the revered Buddhist statue of Phra Phuttha Sihing escorted from the Thai National Museum for a four day residence at Sanam Luang Park. A tradition among Thai people is to pour water on Buddhist statues.
This year, countless visitors have already visited Sanam Luang to dowse Phra Phuttha Sihing and nine other sacred statues. To officially inaugurate the start of Songkran 2015, Bangkok’s governor, Sukhumbhand Paribatra, and the national tourism minister sprinkled water on the statues on Sunday afternoon.
This symbolic rite was followed by old style dance and theatrical performances in which the artistes donned colourful costumes. These shows are ongoing and visitors wishing to see one still have two more evenings to do so.
Yesterday morning, Buddhists made merit for the coming year by giving alms to monks. At Sanam Luang, 189 saffron-robed monks were on hand to receive the donations.
Traditional rites mark onset of Songkran Festival
News in Asia
Over the past few days, Bangkok has staged several traditional ceremonies to celebrate the Songkran Festival in Thailand. The festival marks the start of the historic Lanna New Year and is best known to international travellers for its water-fights, yet does have its traditional facets.