The Legendary of Songkran Lady (Nang Songkran) | THAILAND 🇹🇭

Seven Songkran ladies for the 7 days of the weeks depending on the day of 13 April.
Sunday - Tungsa Devi.
Monday - Koraka Devi.
Tuesday - Raksod Devi.
Wednesday - Manta Devi.
Thursday - Kirinee Devi.
Friday - Kimita Devi.
Saturday - Mahothorn Devi.
✦ According to the Buddhist scripture of Wat Pho, Songkran originated from the death of Kapila Brahma. 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 Sun and the 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, 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. Thungsa, his eldest child, stored her father's head in the cave in Mount Kailash.
✦ Every year when the Sun enters Aries, one of Kapila Brahma's children, called the Nang 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. 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.
✦ 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.
🔴 SUNDAY: Thungsa Devi (ทุงษะเทวี), red dress with ruby ornaments, put pomegranate flowers behind ears, rides on the back of the garuda. She carries a discus in the right hand, and a conch in the left hand.
🟡 MONDAY: Khorakha Devi (โคราคะเทวี), yellow dress with moonstone ornaments, put cork tree flowers behind ears, rides on the back of a tiger. She carries a sword in the right hand, and a staff in the left hand.
⚪ TUESDAY: Raksot Devi (รากษสเทวี), pink dress with agate ornaments, put lotus flowers behind ears, rides on the back of a boar. She carries a trident in the right hand, and a bow in the left hand.
🟢 WEDNESDAY: Mantha Devi (มณฑาเทวี), Emerald green dress with cats eye ornaments, put champak flowers behind ears, rides on the back of a donkey. She carries a stylus in the right hand, and a staff in the left hand.
🟠 THURSDAY: Kirini Devi (กิริณีเทวี), greenish yellow dress with emerald ornaments, put magnolia flowers behind ears, rides on the back of an elephant. She carries an elephant hook in the right hand, and a gun in the left hand.
🔵 FRIDAY: Kimitha Devi (กิมิทาเทวี), White dress with topaz ornaments, put water lilies flowers behind ears, rides on the back of an buffalo. She carries a sword in the right hand, and a lute in the left hand.
🟣 SATURDAY: Mahothon Devi (มโหทรเทวี), purple dress with blue sapphire ornaments, put water hyacinth flowers behind ears, rides on the back of the peacock. She carries a discus in the right hand, and a trident in the left hand.
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💦 Credit: สำนักการสังคีต กรมศิลปากร ✧
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