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Skipping the Songkran Festival

I had planned to go to the Songkran festival today at Wat Pananachart in Aldie, VA but woke up feeling like my whole body was held together by pus and snot. It must be a cold or something. Hack, wheeze, snort, sneeze.

Songkran is the Thai New Year festival and is really quite a to-do. People set up stalls to sell all sorts of stuff, people spray each other with water guns and the Sangha – the monastic community – plays an active role in blessing the laity for the new year.

I try to have contact with the Thai community here in the DC area and attend festivals like this when I can. One problem I have had with staying in touch has been the distance to a temple. From what I can tell, there is no Thai temple in Washington, DC or Arlington.

I recently stumbled on a temple in Alexandria I hope to visit again sometime. This one is only thirty minutes away, as opposed to the hour-long drive to get to the one in Aldie. And that’s if I drive like Rusty Wallace, which I find myself less and less willing to do the older I get.

Alas, no Songkran for me this year. What can I say but, “Cha na bai bai,” – next life in the afternoon.

Dear Phra Rasamee,

Please excuse Carl from the Songkran festival on account he woke up not feeling well.

Sincerely,
Epstein’s Mother

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This entry was posted on Sunday, April 29th, 2007 at 7:01 am and is filed under Thai Community. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

2 Responses to “Skipping the Songkran Festival”

  1. bekah Says:
    May 7th, 2007 at 4:15 pm

    I had the privilege of being in Thailand for Songkran several years ago–1999, I think. We hadn’t planned it that way, we just got lucky. We actually bought the very last train tickets on the very last train available the day before it started up to Chiang Mai.

    It was absolutely wonderful, and after an hour or two, we stopped caring about being soaked by waterguns, hoses and pails.

    What a time.

    I’m so looking forward to reading everything you have to write about Thailand. It is truly my very favorite place. I’d sooner travel there again than go someplace new. Truly.

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