Middle School
Worksheets
The Biggest Water Fight Ever
Thailand's New Year
Reading Comprehension for April 13
In Thailand, water is a symbol of cleansing and renewal. It plays a major part in the celebration of the Thai New Year, which they call Wan Songkran. It is celebrated on April 13 of every year. Passed down through history is the tradition of sprinkling scented water from a big bowl on one's elders while asking for forgiveness of past misdeeds and attitudes, as well as asking for blessings for the new year. The family wears traditional Thai clothing and leis made from jasmine flowers. The water is also scented with jasmine for this special occasion.
The holiday also involves making offerings to the local temples and the monks, and the smearing on of a white paste to ward off evil, but Wan Songkran is best known for the soaking that people get as they move along the streets and sidewalks of town!
Thai people enjoy the biggest water fight ever! April is the hottest time of the year in Thailand. During the three-day celebration, people dress for the dousing they are likely to experience. This is not the time to carry cameras or other electronic equipment, or to wear designer, dry-clean-only clothing. Even train passengers are not safe! It's quite possible for a water balloon to come hurtling through an open window. The streets may be lined with people carrying buckets of water to throw on the unprepared. Others stand with hoses ready to spray passersby, whether on foot, bicycle, motorcycle, car, or truck. Those revelers along the streets had better be on guard, however, because pick-up trucks filled with laughing splashers cruise the streets looking for victims to soak before making a quick getaway. Talk about hit and run! You just can't escape the fun of Songkran.
