Yesterday in Thai church in Chiang Mai, we waved palm branches as a costumed Jesus rode in on his costumed donkey. Its Holy Week, with solemn Good Friday services and fasting. However, this year, the Thai New Year, Songkran, falls on the same week! These two very different events call for wise cultural discernment for Thai Christians. Songkran is a Buddhist holiday, but it is also completely Thai. So after the service, church members honored the elderly of the congregation by giving them words of blessing as they gently poured water over their shoulders. Meanwhile, out in the streets, people poured water over the citys Buddha statues, children turned on the water hoses and no one got home dry!
Posted on: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 09:24:42 +0000
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