The Thai Student Organization (TSO) organized its third-annual Songkran celebration on April 21. It took place on the Peace Quad and featured a range of water-related activities.

Songkran is a Thai festival that celebrates the New Year with water. Ya Ying Zhao, the organization’s president and a senior double-majoring in psychology and linguistics, explained the holiday’s cultural significance.

“[In] Thailand, a lot of their holidays revolve around water,” Zhao said. “The idea of water for this is just to cleanse away the impurities of the past year and to bring good luck into the next year … since it is a southeast Asian country, it’s really hot, so it’s just another excuse for people to go out with their friends and family and have fun out in the streets, and that was the idea that we wanted to bring [to Binghamton University].”

Participants didn’t let the 40-degree weather distract from the water-related fun. Upon entry, they were given mini water guns they could use to sneak up on friends. There was also a small inflatable pool that allowed them to refuel their ammo, while also holding reusable water balloons for extra fun.

TSO arranged several activities that allowed participants to both celebrate in Thai culture and have fun with friends. Some water-centric activities included face painting, temporary tattoos and tie-dye, which allowed participants to be creative.

For those trying to release energy and de-stress, TSO had games such as volleyball and spikeball. The event also had a Mak kep station, where participants could learn about the traditional Thai multiplayer game that includes small stone pieces players take turns tossing and catching. The event also included food for attendees to enjoy, including kebab-style fish balls and watermelon on a stick.

“Since we are the Thai cultural organization, one of our main goals [is] to educate the [campus] community about Thai culture and have a place for actual Thai students to enjoy their culture,” said Prawravee Pothiwit, TSO’s publicity chair and a sophomore double-majoring in environmental science and biology. “This is one of the main holidays in Thai culture — it’s like saying what is the significance of Christmas in America, so it’s one of the main holidays that we celebrate.”

Attendees who completed every activity were able to head over to the dunk tank, where they were given three free throws to dunk an E-Board member of their choice. If they completed their activities punch card, they were allowed three extra throws, and those insistent on dunking a specific E-Board member paid 50 cents per throw for more attempts.

Alita Lin, one of TSO’s cultural chairs and a senior majoring in biology, explained the significance of the organization for the local Thai community.

“I feel like there’s a very small population of Thai [people] in Binghamton, especially at the University and also in the surrounding areas,” Lin said. “Of course there are some local Thai businesses, but they’re not really as well known, so we try to work with them a little bit and support their businesses and try to bring Thai culture to the campus as well. We’ve had an increase in Thai students, especially international students, so having this [organization] also makes them feel like they’re still connected, even when they’re really far away from home.”

She elaborated on the importance of bringing Sonkran to BU.

“I’m really happy that we’re able to do this event because this is a very big holiday in Thailand, so bringing it to Binghamton makes me feel like I’m at home,” Lin said.