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Published on April 12, 2008

This weekend, Thais will begin their long holiday to celebrate their New Year, or the Songkran festival, an auspicious occasion for purifying people's minds and starting a better life for the Thai New Year. Millions of Thais will go back to their home towns this weekend to celebrate the New Year with their families. Some will visit elders to ask forgiveness for wrongs they have committed against them over the past year by gently pouring water to pay respect to these people.

The water-pouring tradition has developed into the throwing of water to spice up the fun and relieve the heat, which is at its hottest in April.

Over the past few days, we have heard people make their New Year's resolutions. For instance, Privy Council President General Prem Tinsulanonda on Thursday urged the people to uphold the royal advice on three principles - honesty, unity and forgiveness.

In spite of the reports of conflicts over the past month, the Songkran festival has given those on opposing sides of the political divide a break. Prime Minister Samak Sundaravej said that the well-wishing ceremony with top brass on the occasion of Songkran was one of the most memorable moments of his life.

These warm moments reflect the beauty of the Songkran festival. It's a time for people to put aside their differences and be compassionate with one another. The term "Songkran" comes from the Sanskrit "Sankranta", meaning "a move or change". Songkran is an occasion on which people can renew their lives.

The timing for Songkran this year could not be more symbolic. The Songkran break has more or less helped cool political tensions between the group that is against amending the 2007 Constitution and those who support the changes.

Of course, the differences between the two groups remain. But at least the Songkran festival will provide some time for them to reflect on these issues in a more rational light.

 All quarters of society should use this quality time with their families to think about what is in society's best interest, and be conscious of what they plan to do in the New Year.

But incidents that have taken place over the year that has passed show that people seem to forget the real spirit of Songkran.

In spite of its auspicious nature, the Songkran holiday may, however, turn into a festival of road accidents, as millions of vehicles are set to depart Bangkok.

Last year, the number of people who died as a result of injuries sustained during road accidents or due to inappropriate behaviour during the festival increased. For instance, some threw water at travelling motorcyclists, and some sexually harassed others, especially children and women. This kind of behaviour ruins the fun and the spirit of the New Year celebration.

Instead of being known as an auspicious occasion, the Songkran festival is now widely known as the "Seven Dangerous Days", as the number of road accidents tends to peak during this week.

For instance, the Road Safety Centre in 2007 found that there were 4,274 road accidents, which killed 361 people and injured 4,805. About 40 per cent of those involved in accidents were drunk at the time, while 19 per cent were speeding.

This year, the Public Heath Ministry has ordered all 8,000 public hospitals to be prepared to receive patients around the clock during this holiday period.

People should enter into the New Year by consciously making an effort this weekend to drive safely and avoid behaving in a manner that could be harmful or that others would find harassing.

After all, they should go back to the real spirit of the event, which is to wash away all the bad things that have happened over the past year, and to start fresh.

the nation