songkran 2023!
By Joanna Tan (Class of 2022)
On the last Sunday of March, I attended the Songkran celebrations organised by the Thai Language Programme – this was the first full-blown Songkran event since COVID, and my ex-ajarns had been promoting the event excitedly on their Facebook page. The moment I arrived, I was greeted by a giant tuktuk, a large crowd of people milling around in floral, summery shirts (almost like an unspoken dress code) and Thai costumes. There were people speaking in Thai, people holding water guns, and there was some emcee booming over the PA system – it felt like I was transported to a Songkran celebration in Thailand itself.
I first went for a little “survey” of the booths, to which I was not disappointed in the least. There was a large variety of food on offer graciously provided by different groups of people in the Thai community in Singapore – the ajarns from the Thai Language Programme itself, Thai student groups, and even Farangse, an Issan-French dining concept establishment. In walking around I managed to spot some friends and familiar faces, and chit-chatted with ajarns that I hadn’t seen in a while too – all while feasting on food like khanom khrok and pad Thai.
.jpg)
Throughout all of this, of course, there were performances going on on the stage. I caught the traditional Thai dance performance, the Songkran ceremony – where water was poured on the hands of the elders present at the event – as well as special items by students in the Thai Programme who gave, among other songs, their rendition of the classic song “Thur Yang” that I dare say every NUS Thai Programme student knows. Something unique this time around was the co-celebration of the Holi festival, which had happened slightly before the event, and I thought it rather unique to create such an opportunity for cultural dialogue.
As the sun set and dusk settled over the event, it was time for my personal favourite – the Mosquitoes band, a band consisting of Yong Siew Toh students/alumni (that includes P’Win Wasin who won The Golden Song, a Thai singing competition) that delivered vivacious performance after performance of Thai songs from popular singers past and present. I particularly appreciated how P’Win introduced most of songs before singing – cue references to Jeff Satur, Billkin, and Paper Planes – so that the uninitiated in the audience would be acquainted with Thai (pop) culture. Another band, Wong Klom (a play on Thai words, meaning “round band” or “circle”), rotated with the Mosquitoes throughout their slot.
The Songkran celebrations has inevitably become a regular fixture in my “calendar of Thai events” each year. With the opportunity to mill around with like-minded friends, practise speaking the language, as well as experience a multi-sensory cultural immersion (even if it’s just for that few hours!), I am always grateful for the immense effort from the organisers, and I wouldn’t miss it for the world.
​
Joanna
​
Image credits: Ajarn Rungnapa Kitiarsa, Nok Chayaporn, Win Wasin Pornphongsa