Friday April 11, 2008
Bukit Mertajam temple to host Songkran festival
MALAYSIANS from all walks of life are invi-ted to join in the festivities at this year’s Songkran festival at Wat Rajaphohong Buddhist Temple in Ara Kuda, Bukit Mertajam on Sunday, 13th April, 2008.
Jointly organised by the Malaysian Siamese Association Penang Branch, the Royal Thai Consulate-General in Penang and Wat Rajaphohong, this year’s festival will feature a Miss Songkran competition, sand pagoda contest, a traditional Thai game of Soi Dow and cultural shows.
Also known as the water festival, Songkran is the traditional Thai New Year which starts on April 13 annually.
According to tradition, it is a time of merit-making, offering food to Buddhist monks, paying respect to the elders by pouring water on their palms, asking their forgiveness and wishing them good luck, good health and happiness.
“This year, we’ve decided to hold the festival in Bukit Mertajam, as there is a sizeable Siamese community around the area. The temple that’s hosting the event is over a hundred years old,” said Manopchai Vongphakdi, the Thai Consul-General of Penang.
“There will be many Buddhist ceremonies and Thai cultural events and performances,” he added.
Elaborating on the sand pagoda contest, Vongphakdi said:
“The Siamese believe that over time, as many people come and go from the temple, the sand on the ground would eventually thin out. Hence, at the end of the day, the sand pagodas will be demolished and this will replenish the sand.”
Vilai Phromsuwan, president of the Siamese Association’s Penang branch, said she hoped people from the northern states would join in the fun as it was a multi-racial event.
“In previous years, the Songkran festival was held on the island, but this year we’ve moved it to the mainland. There are seven Siamese temples in the state, and we plan to shift the venue each year to cover all the temples,” she added.
Vongphakdi added that the consulate was planning big celebrations in the next couple of years to mark the 150th anniversary of its presence in Penang.
“We hope this will promote goodwill and foster better relations between Thailand and Malaysia,” Vongphakdi said.
This Sunday’s Songkran festivities will start at 9am.
Festival for all: Vongphakdi (in coat) watching the children dressed in colourful Thai attire having fun playing together.
Chief Minister Lim Guan Eng and many dignitaries are scheduled to attend.
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