PHOTO COLLECTION
Celebrating Spring in the Asia-Pacific
A selection of photographs shot in 2024 capturing Spring festival celebrations in Thailand, Vietnam and Japan.
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND. SONGKRAN
WATER
Roughly translated to mean ‘passing,’ ‘approaching,’ or ‘movement,’ Songkran is celebrated via the sprinkling (or throwing) of water on loved ones and other revellers. This 3 day New Year celebration takes place on the 13th-15th April annually - the hottest month of the year - and symbolises the washing away of bad luck, while clay is offered for protection against evil.
In Chiang Mai, the festivities centre around the city’s moat and Tha Phae gate. With heatwaves continuing to grip the city, buckets of ice water provide a much needed reprieve.
CHIANG MAI, THAILAND. CHINESE NEW YEAR
FIRE
Thailand has a long history of Chinese migration, with the Thai-Chinese ethnic group making up the country’s largest ethnic minority, and constituting around 10% of today’s population. For the diaspora, New Year celebrations take place between the months of January or February based on a lunisolar calendar. Loud noises are used throughout celebrations to scare away evil spirits, while red, the colour of ’fire’, is worn for good fortune and prosperity.
In Chiang Mai’s Chinatown, crowds of spectators gather at temples, setting off firecrackers, burning incense, and witnessing the dragon dance to welcome in the new year.
HANOI, VIETNAM. PREPARING FOR TET
FLOWER
Tết is Vietnam’s Lunar New Year festival, and involves as much preparation as it does celebration. The festival shares its origins with China, celebrated according to the lunisolar calendar, however it has grown to develop its own unique customs, valued as the country’s most important festival of the year.
Of particular note is the role of fruit and flowers in preparation for festivities. In Hanoi, the already-busy streets are overtaken with various plants and decorations tied to the backs of scooters. Kumquat trees, peach blossoms, potted dahlias, and marigolds are all common sights, used to decorate homes, offices and streets across the city. The presence of these bouquets represent prosperity, new beginnings and hope for the coming year.
TOKYO, JAPAN. Kanamara Matsuri
LIFE
New Year festivities in Japan have been celebrated in line with the Gregorian calendar since 1873, however, the presence of Shinto festivals and the significance of sakura (cherry blossom) permeate the country today. Sakura is celebrated for its fleeting beauty, nostalgia and impermanence; a symbol of new life, it is cherished through simple enjoyment and the act of flower gazing (Hanami).
At the same time, Kanamara Matsuri - the Shinto fertility festival - is celebrated every Spring in Tokyo; one of the most crowded festivals in all of Japan. Phallic processions take place around the Wakamiya Hachimangu shrine in Tokyo’s Kawasaki ward, attracting locals and tourists alike. In the 1960s, sex workers would pray for protection against STDs at the shrine, and the festival now raises funds towards HIV awareness and advocacy. The pink phallus was donated by the Elizabeth Kaikan Drag Queen Club, and was traditionally carried only by members .
