It’s often New Year somewhere in the world, and this week it’s much of South and South-East Asia’s turn. Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Sri Lanka and parts of India will all be celebrating, as Theravadin Buddhists and Tamils mark the New Year in April. Here are eight reasons you should join the party:
1. Eat rice and get lucky!
While it’s considered bad luck to eat congee for breakfast in Chinese culture at Lunar New Year (you don’t want to kick off your year eating ‘peasant food’), rice is traditionally eaten and offered across many of the new year’s celebrations this week. Kiribath, or coconut milk rice, is an auspicious Sri Lankan dish eaten as the first meal on the dawn of the Sinhala new year or Avurudu, with a fiery chilli sambol called lunu miris. Sure beats Weetbix. And while Laos comes to a standstill for Pi Mai celebrations, or the ‘Day of No Day’, one thing stays as normal - the national dish of sticky rice steamed in small bamboo baskets takes pride of place at New Year meals, eaten with laap.
Luke Nguyen's recipe for pork laap.
2. Get in a water fight...
The streets of South-East Asia become one giant water fight as the tradition of ritually sprinkling an elder or statue of Buddha with water gets taken to the extreme on the third day of the festival. Dig out that supersoaker.
3. Play a prank.
Organised games and casual pranks are a key part of the celebrations in many of these cultures. Tug-of-wars are common across a number of these cultures, there’s a Cambodian game that involves imitating a hen, while Burmese people stuff the odd sweet glutinous rice ball with fiery bird’s-eye chilli and wait to see who will be the unlucky recipient.
4. Spring clean in autumn
Cleaning, repainting and redecorating your house is a common New Year’s tradition across South and South-East Asia. During Tamil New Year, or Puthandu, coloured rice flour is used to create kolam, colourful intricate patterns on the doorsteps of houses.
5. Pretend it’s still summer
Temperatures are at their most sweltering right now in South and South-East Asia, as everyone waits for the monsoon to break. Embrace the unseasonably hot autumn days we’ve had with a favourite Thai Songkran (New Year) dish, mango sticky rice.
Adam Liaw's mango sticky rice.
6. Go clothes shopping
Cleansing is a key part of the celebrations across all cultures. It’s not just houses that are scrubbed clean: soaking in a herbal bath is a common Sri Lankan Tamil tradition, and new clothes are bought for the whole family to wear.
7. Have a second go at New Year's resolutions
If you didn’t quite stick to yours, here’s a chance to consider the last few months a practice run and start over. So jump on the bandwagon and get a fresh start - Happy New Year!
8. Have a feast with your family
Visiting and feeding hungry relatives (both alive and dead) is a key part of the celebrations, which normally last three or more days.
Want more Thai-inspired recipes? Check out our collection here.
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