New Year radiance
A sizeable population of the world relies on the sun itself to herald a New Year. On April 13, when the sun moves from Pisces in Aries, people of Thailand, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia, and the Yunnan Province of China celebrate a new beginning. Giving them company are sections of the Indian society
AULD lang syne… Wan Sangkan Long…
The old year passes by.
For many, this is a four-month old nostalgia. The mid-night revelry, early morning vows, the media round-ups…wasn’t it all so far away?
For millions though, it is just round the corner. Next week. On April 13, to be precise. That is when the people of Thailand, Myanmar, Lao, Cambodia and the Yunnan province of China celebrate the New Year following the traditional solar calendar.
The sun enters Aries from Pisces on April 13, every year, and what could be more new than the sun’s own calendar?
In Dubai, the week also sees festive spirit pervading a section of Indians, who celebrate Bihu, Baisakhi, Vishu and Varsha Pirappu. The one common factor for all these four is an underlying message of the celebration of spring, always a new hope, a new beginning.
Thais celebrate Songkran with three days of festivities starting on April 13, explains Consul General of Thailand Apichit Asatthawasi. This year, the Thai community will not have the customary get-together at the Consulate General for Songkran but the festive spirit has not been dampened. And the community is gearing up for another New Year, one that they prey will be full of cheer and fun.
And fun is the pervasive spirit of the Thais. Reads a banner at the Thai Consulate: Totally Happy Always In Love and Never Dull — that’s Thailand for you.
Thai food outlets in the UAE are offering festive treats, and Dusit Dubai, an unmistakably Thai property, is hosting a week-long celebration from April 9.
Songkran celebrations are marked by a number of traditional practices, explains Asatthawasi. Cleaning the premises, fireworks to ward of the evil influences of the previous year, wearing new clothes, dressing the hair with a flower or leaf that one believes brings luck, offering food and alms to monks, erecting sand stupas, refraining from any bad behaviour, being cheerful, splashing water on one another with a word of blessing, decorating the stupas, and seeking the blessings of elders all form part of the celebration.
In the UAE, with about 2,000 Thai nationals, many in the hospitality sector and also forming part of the workforce, national celebrations are held regularly to foster the community bonding, says Asatthawasi, who has been serving in Dubai since the last four years.
He has previously worked in Kathmandu, Hong Kong, and Prague before assuming charge as consul general in Dubai. Over the last four years, he has seen a steady increase in the number of UAE nationals visiting Thailand. “Last year alone, we had 40,000 UAE nationals. This is apart from the expatriates who have visited Thailand,” he says. Plans are on to market Songkran festivities in a major way to attract more visitors from the Middle East to enjoy the country’s biggest festival.
Thailand, he says, is also keen on offering its medical and hotel management capabilities, bring such experts to Dubai and building a synergy being one of his immediate priorities. “Already, Dubai police has signed a contract to send their staff for treatment in Bangkok,” says Asatthawasi, asserting that the medical facilities in Thailand is second to none. “Another area, where we see potential growth is in spas.”
There is hope in his words. And it is a hope that resonates in the minds of millions, for varying reasons. Ultimately, the hope is all about prosperity and peace. A peaceful New Year. In Thailand, or elsewhere.
– RN
