Fire brigade adds watery fun to Songkran joy in Penang

 

Water battles erupted outside major Siamese and Burmese temples in Penang to celebrate the new year of the two communities. (Bernama pic)

GEORGE TOWN: Water battles erupted at Thai and Burmese temples here as the Siamese community and Myanmar Buddhists celebrated Songkran and Thingyan respectively, the new year festivals of the two communities.

The Lorong Perak volunteer fire brigade sent a fire engine to enliven the festive mood at the Wat Buppharam, the Siamese temple in Jalan Perak.

Large crowds visited the Siamese temple of Wat Chaiyamangalaram in Lorong Burma and the Dhammikarama Burmese temple opposite it, with the road congested with devotees from the Siamese community and Buddhists from Myanmar residing in the state.

Water battles took place among devotees seeking to purify themselves, a tradition synonymous with Songkran. Women were seen in traditional costumes and tents were set up near the temples with various types of food sold to usher in the Thai new year in a three-day celebration starting yesterday.

At Wat Buppharam, the Siamese temple in Jalan Perak, revellers young and old, some of whom were carrying colourful toy guns, were treated to water sprayed from a fire engine.

A private sector employee, Leow SJ, 42, told Bernama she brought her two sons to play with water there, adding that it was the perfect way to cool down and have fun in this hot weather.

“I am a frequent visitor to this temple, and today is the Songkran festival, so I brought my children with me. They are very excited playing with the people here although they don’t know each other,” she said.

Fong Kim Fatt,74, from Bukit Mertajam, came with his relatives to pray for good fortune and health.

As part of traditional Thai culture, it is customary to welcome the new year by splashing water on each other as a cleansing ritual to wash away sins and bad luck, with the belief that this will bring good fortune and blessings for the year ahead.

In addition to water fights, devotees visit temples to perform a bathing ritual in which scented water is poured over the statues of Buddha, to symbolically wash away bad deeds from the past year. - FMT