Get really, really wet!

It's going to be a really wet three days from this Sunday to Tuesday. If you are interested in gawking at pretty girls in wet T-shirts or for the ladies, ogling at guys in wet T-shirts, then head on to the Siamese Buddhist Temples at Perak Lane and Bangkok Lane this coming weekend.

No, no, no. It is not an obscene wet T-shirt contest (you know, the ones they always have in some mat salleh country where you get to see body shapes imprinted through the flimsy wet T-shirts...). This April 13 is the Thai New Year or popularly known as Songkran Festival.

Though very much a Thai event, the Songkran Festival is also celebrated by locals of Thai descent and Buddhists here. The only thing I knew about the Songkran Festival was the water splashing. I would remember because I was one of those who had to literally walk around in a wet T-shirt just because I was too kaypoh and went to look at how it was celebrated at one of those Buddhist temples I mentioned. Everyone there was splashing water at everyone using pails, buckets and water guns.

So, this year, to avoid being splashed I will steer clear of the temples and water-wielding people. No walking around in a wet t-shirt for me. It'd be too gross for others to see... my... err... prosperous figure imprinted through wet clothes... heheheh...

However, I am still curious about the significance of the festival and did some digging through the net. Well, it seemed that the water splashing started with a milder tradition of visiting and paying respects to the elders, relatives and friends much like our Chinese New Year tradition. The religious aspects of it was the bathing and cleansing of the Buddha statues and pouring a token amount of water on the hands and shoulders of people as a sign of respect. Water was used as a sign to cleanse away all the bad luck. Buddhists also uses this time to go to the Buddhist temples to pray and offer food to the monks.

However, over the years, the water pouring part became fun while the other aspects took a back seat. You know la, youngsters will always find the fun part of any tradition and made it a main feature! So, that's why la water was splashed indiscriminately during the three days of the Songkran Festival.

If you want to join in the fun of water fights, go on ahead to the temples and have a great time! In this hot humid weather, it is a great way to cool down while enjoying some nice...err...views...