Editing Songkran (Thailand) (section)

== Origin and myths ==
The origin of the Songkran festival lies in a Buddhist folk myth or noncanonical [[Jataka tales|jataka]] related to harvest and spring. In the prosperous city of Sukhavati in [[Suvarnabhumi|Suvannabhumi]], Bodistva was born in the household of a poor farmer. Once upon a time, [[Śakra (Buddhism)|Indra]] the king of Devas, looked at the city from heaven and felt sad seeing the high level of corruption. He found that people did not respect their elders, behaved rudely, and didn't serve them proper food and medicines. They had no compassion for the needy and helpless. No faith in [[Sila (Buddhism)|Sila]] and [[Uposatha|Uposath]] but fun in sins, no faith in donation but greedy for wealth, no faith in [[Dharma (Buddhism)|Dhamma]] but made business of Dhamma. By seeing the decline of Dhamma, he said, "[[Vasudhara|Glory/Siri]] of humans lies in their faith in Dhamma. There is no Glory without Dhamma." With the affirmation of this truth, people in the city immediately lost their glory, no proper rains, water, and food scarcity prevailed and extreme drought with skin-burning hot sun waves and dirty, foul-smelling garbage filled their homes.

To get saved from this suffering, In the leadership of Bodistva, people prayed to Mother [[Vasudhara|Earth or Siri]]. They asked Siri the causes and solutions of their misfortune. Out of compassion and sympathy for her children, she told them the causes and solutions to their sufferings. She told them restoration of their faith in Dhamma would end their suffering. She gave them a divine piece of fertile land, divine seeds, a mysterious song for rain and pots of divine [[thanaka]] powder of several colors to apply on their skin to cool the body from hot sun waves. Now, people pleaged to observe sila and upasotha under the guidance of bodistva.

Bodistva and his companions started cultivating the divine land, sowing divine seeds. They used to apply several colours of [[thanaka]] powder and water is poured to cool their body from heavy sun waves. In few days their crops were grown that was the day when the sun entered [[Aries (constellation)|aries constellation]]. They produced adequate grains. At the day of harvest, they washed feet of their elders, saluted them and served delicious food and proper cloths. Donations were made to needy and helpless. Hence, Dhamma was restored by the people.

Same day when Indra the king of devas again looked at the city of [[Suvarnabhumi|SuvannaBhumi]]. He praised them and said, "Glory of humans lies in their faith in Dhamma, there is no Glory without Dhamma." By affirmation of this truth immediately their lost glory was restored back and the people elected bodistva as their leader and celebrated the harvest day with throwing water on each other and started playing with several colours of thanaka powder by applying it on each other's body.

Thus, in Buddhist community in South East Asia, to remember and celebrate this day, people clean their houses, salute and show respect to their elders by washing their feet, serving delicious food and proper clothing to them. Donations are made to monastery and needy. People play with water and different colours of [[thanaka]] powder is applied to each other's body.

According to the Buddhist scripture of [[Wat Pho]], Songkran originated from the death of Kapila Brahma ({{langx|th|กบิลพรหม|lit=reddish [[Brahma]]|translit=Kabilaphrom|label=none}}).<ref>{{cite book|last=วิริยบูรณะ|first=อุระคินทร์|title=พรหมชาติ ฉบับหลวง|publisher=สำนักงาน ลูก ส. ธรรมภักดี|date=1 April 1960}} pp. 512–513</ref> In the olden days, there was a wealthy man and his neighbor, a drunkard. The drunkard, who had two sons, belittled the rich man for being childless. The rich man was humiliated and beseeched the [[Surya|Sun]] and the [[Chandra|Moon]] gods to grant him a son. His attempts failed until he offered cooked rice to the tree god living in a banyan tree, who asked [[Indra]] to grant the man's wish. The child, named Thammabal ({{langx|th|ธรรมบาล}}, also Dhammapala, {{Literal translation|one who protects righteousness}}), was born.

Thammabal was a clever child who learned three [[vedas]], bird language and also taught people to avoid sin. Kapila Brahma learned of the child and wanted to test the child's cleverness. The god asked, "Where is the glory of men (''sri'') located in the morning, during the day, and in the evening?". The loser would have his head chopped off. The boy thought in vain for six days, but could not find a solution to the riddles. He lay beneath a sugar palm tree and overheard a conversation between a pair of eagles who planned to eat his corpse when he lost the bet. The female eagle asked her mate whether he knew the answer. He answered, "In the morning, the ''sri'' appears on the face, so people wash their faces every morning. At noon, the ''sri'' is at the chest where people spray perfume every noon. In the evening, the ''sri'' goes to the feet, so people wash their feet every evening." Thmmabal memorized the answer and gave it to Kapila Brahma the next day. Having lost, Kapila Brahma summoned his seven daughters and told them that he must cut his head off. However, if his head fell to earth, it would create an inferno that would engulf the world. If his head was thrown into the air, the rains would stop. And if his head was dropped into the ocean, all seawater would dry up. To prevent these calamities, he told his daughters to place his head on an elevated [[Phan (tray)|phan]]. Thungsa, his eldest child, stored her father's head in the cave in [[Mount Kailash]].<ref name="JRIT-2004" />

Every year when the Sun enters Aries, one of Kapila Brahma's children, called the ''Nang Songkran'' ({{langx|th|นางสงกรานต์|lit=Lady Songkran}}) for that year, and other angels form a procession. One of them takes the phan with Kapila Brahma's head. The lady stands, sits, reclines or sleeps on the back of the animal depending on the time. From the dawn to midday, the lady will stand on the back of her conveyance. After midday until the sunset, she will sit down. Between the sunset and midnight, the lady lies down on her vehicle but leaves her eyes open. After midnight, she sleeps.<ref name="rikkha"/> These postures and other details were previously drawn as part of the ''Prakat Songkran'' and now as part of the lunisolar calendar. The procession lasts for 60 minutes around [[Mount Meru]]. This is subsequently called ''Maha Songkran'' to distinguish from other ''Songkran'' that occur when the Sun moves from one to another zodiac. For simplicity, the name was later shortened as ''Songkran''.<ref>{{cite web|last1=Suksawat|first1=Saranya|title=Happy New Year Songkran Festival|url=https://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thai_article/2101_songkran_festival/songkran_festival.html|access-date=14 April 2018|website=Thaiways|date=n.d.|archive-date=9 February 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180209014243/http://www.thaiwaysmagazine.com/thai_article/2101_songkran_festival/songkran_festival.html}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Legendary of Songkran lady (Nang Songkran)|url=https://songkranfestivalinthailand.blogspot.com.au/p/legendary-of-songkran-lady-nang.html|website=Songkran Festival|access-date=14 April 2018}}</ref>

The following table lists the names and characteristics of ''Nang Songkran'', which vary according to which day of the week ''Maha Songkran'' falls on in each year.

{| class="wikitable" style="width:100%;"
|-
! style="width:8%;"| Day of Week and corresponding colour
! style="width:18%;"| Name 
! style="width:19%;"| Flower
! style="width:13%;"| Jewellery stone
! style="width:13%;"| Food
! style="width:13%;"| Right hand
! style="width:13%;"| Left hand
! style="width:13%;"| Conveyance
|-
| {{colorbox|red}} Sunday
| Dungsha Devi/Thungsa Thewi
|[[Pomegranate]] flowers
|[[Ruby]]
|[[Common fig|Fig]]
|Discus
|[[Conch]]
|[[Garuda]]
|-
| {{colorbox|yellow}} Monday
| Gōrāgha Devi/Khorakha Thewi
| [[Millingtonia|Cork tree flowers]]
| [[Moonstone (gemstone)|Moonstone]]
| Oil
| [[Sword]]
| [[Staff of office|Staff]]
| [[Tiger (zodiac)|Tiger]] 
|- 
| {{colorbox|pink}} Tuesday
| Rākshasa Devi/Raksot Thewi
|[[Nelumbo nucifera|Lotus flower]]
|[[Agate]]
|Blood
|[[Trident]]
|[[Bow and arrow|Bow]]
|[[Pig (zodiac)|Pig]]
|- 
| {{colorbox|green}} Wednesday
| Maṇdā Devi/Mantha Thewi
|[[Magnolia champaca|Champak flowers]]
|[[Chatoyancy|Cat's eye]]
|Butter
|[[Stylus]]
|Staff
|Donkey
|- 
| {{colorbox|orange}} Thursday
| Kiriṇī Devi/Kirini Thewi
|[[Magnolia]]
|[[Emerald]]
|Nuts and sesame seeds
|Hook
|Bow
|Elephant
|- 
| {{colorbox|aqua}} Friday
| Kimidā Devi/Kimitha Thewi
|[[Nymphaeaceae|Water lilies]]
|[[Topaz]]
|[[Banana]]
|Sword
|[[Lute]]
|Buffalo
|- 
| {{colorbox|#8F00FF}} Saturday
| Mahodharā Devi/Mahothon Thewi
|[[Eichhornia crassipes|Water hyacinth flowers]]
|[[Blue sapphire]]
|[[Indian hog deer|Hog deer meat]]
|Discus
|Trident
|Peacock
|}