About the King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation ... (KTBF)
The King of Thailand Birthplace Foundation, a nonprofit corporation and public charity incorporated in 1998 under 501(c)(3) in Massachusetts.  KTBF is comprised of Thai and American men and women who believe in cultural exchange, community service, and historic preservation.  

Our objective is to establish and maintain a Cultural Center recognizing the birthplace of His Majesty King Bhumibol Adulyadej of Thailand who is the only monarch of a foreign country to be born in the USA, Mount Auburn Hospital in Cambridge on December 5, 1927. During that time His Majesty’s father, Prince Mahidol Songkla studied at Harvard Medical School and His Majesty’s mother, Princess Sangwal studied at Simmons College. Our major activity is to promote cultural exchanges.  The program has been highly successful. 

KTBF has been working with the city of Cambridge to improve King Bhumibol Square at Harvard Square.  We are also in a process of establishing KTBF Library, Cultural Center and Museum in Gloucester in honor of King Bhumibol and his family who used to live in Massachusetts from 1916 - 1928.  

April 13th is a traditional Thai New Year in addition to January 1st.   Thai people and friends of KTBF will celebrate Songkran and perform cultural show on Sunday, April 25th.  You are invited to bring your friends, family and your loved ones to join us. 

Program:   Sunday, April 25, 2004
12:00 PM - Guests arrive and lunch begins
	  - Thai Live Classical music
1:00 PM  - Welcome and guest speaker
1:15 PM  - Multimedia Songkran Kick-off 
1:20 PM - Songkran Parade
1:30 PM - Miss Songkran story
1:35 PM -Show Respect to the Elders – Pour 	Scented Water over Elders' hands
1:50 PM  - Pour Water to Each Other
2:00 PM - Traditional Thai dance -Ram Wong
2:10 PM -  Muay Thai (Thai kickboxing) 
2:20 PM - Thai folk dances performance
2:30 PM - Pha Kao Ma Show 
2:40 PM - Songkran games – Ngu Kin Harng
2:50 PM - Songkran games - Mon Son Pha
3:00 PM – Closing

Direction to Thai Smile: 

On Rout 95/128, take the North Ave exit - exit #39 toward Wakefield. On North Ave, go through a set of light at gas station on the left. At the next 3 short blocks, see Anton's Cleaner on the left.  Turn LEFT onto Chestnut Street. Chestnut Street is ended at Main Street. You will see the clock tower on your left and CVS in front of you. Cross over Main Street to Centre Street, Thai Smile is in front of you on the left. 

Songkran  "Thai New Year"

KTBF and Thai Smile Restaurant cordially invite you to join Thai Cultural festival and learn more about our culture.

Date: Sunday, April 25, 2004
Time: 12:00 to 3:00 PM.
Place:  Thai Smile Restaurant 
19 Centre Street
Wakefield, Massachusetts 01880
Phone: 781-213-9933
Fax:     781-213-9991
Email: ktbf@thailink.com

RSVP: # of tickets

Tickets are $15 (include Thai lunch buffet and cultural show). All proceeds go to benefit of KTBF. Ticket can be purchased at the above address.

April 13th, it's Songkran Day. The word Songkran is from the Sanskrit.  It means the beginning of a new Solar Year. Songkran is celebrated to express delight of having another year of age passed and be prepared to enter the New Year.  The festival starts on April 13th every year and lasts for 3 days until April 15th.

Songkran is not only observed in Thailand; it is also celebrated in Myanmar, Laos and Cambodia.

To the Thai people, this festival is one of water throwing and although it has religious significance, it usually turns into great fun. Everyone gets soaking wet and since it is the hottest season of the year, the custom is quite refreshing.

On the eve of Songkran Day, housewives give their homes a thorough cleaning. Worn-out clothing or household effects and rubbish are burned, it is a Public Spring Cleaning Day, supported by the religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner.

In the morning, Thai people go to the temple, which is called "Wat" to offer food to the monks. It is a feast day, special exotic foods are made.  Music is often played all day while the people enjoy playing games and dancing.
Songkran custom is also a religious service in memory of the dead.  In some places, people bring bones of deceased to the Wat. Monks officiate at a ceremony wherever ashes or bones of dead have been deposited.

During the afternoon of the 13th, Buddha images are bathed as part of the ceremony. Young people pour scented water into the hands of elders and parents as a mark of respect while seeking the blessing of the elders. In ancient days, old people were actually given a bath and clothed in new apparel presented by the young folks as a token of respect for the New Year.
Another unique Songkran custom is the releasing of live birds and fish purchased in the markets. It is believed that great merit is gained through this kind act. In Paklat (Phra Pradaeng), near Bangkok, particularly, beautiful girls in bright and cheerful color dress form a procession and carry fish bowls to the river where the fish are released. Naturally, young men of Bangkok like to make a trip to Paklat every year.

The releasing-of-fish custom goes back to the days when the Central plains of Thailand were flooded during the rainy season. After the water subsided, pools were left.  As the pools gradually dried up, baby fish were trapped. Farmers in those days caught small fish and kept them at home until Songkran Day to release them into the canals, thereby gaining merit with mother nature as well as preserving one of the main items of their diet.

The country people usually celebrate the Songkran Festival but the merriest celebration of all is held in Chiang Mai, the second largest city in Thailand some 500 miles north of Bangkok.

If a visitor happens to be in a village, out on a country road or up in Chiang Mai, he can expect to be drenched with water. Everybody, particularly the younger ones, throw water on one another during the three-day holiday.

In Chiang Mai, there are processions of beautiful girls (one of Chiang Mai's claims to fame), dancers, floats and bands playing. A Queen of the Water Festival is chosen amidst much noise and gaiety. The river, which runs thorough the city, is crowded with people wading in the water and scooping it up with pans and buckets to throw in one another. The visitor to Chiang Mai must plan his trip well in advance as the city is crowded with merrymakers during the Songkran Festival.

Certain areas of the Kingdom have their own unique types of games, songs and dances to celebrate the Festival.  It is only natural that the farmers make more celebration as their farm work is at a stand-still, until the rain comes, that is when they can begin plowing for the new rice crop.

It is an old belief that the Nagas or mythical serpents brought on rain by spouting water from the seas. The more they spouted, the more rain there would be. So, one might believe that the Songkran customs, of throwing water is actually a rain-making idea,  the same as in Europe where water is thrown on the last crop of corn on the farmer bringing in the last load of corn, in the hope of having ample rain for the next year's crops.

Let's Celebrate Thai New Year, Songkran !!!  Come to have fun with us.