Nang Mahotorntevee, Queen Songkran for 2013.
Warunya Thongrod
Residents and frequent visitors to Pattaya are used to bizarre sights,
but even they might be surprised to see a woman leading this year’s
Songkran parade from the back of a peacock.
So goes the legend of Queen Songkran, a title that revolves among the
fabled seven daughters of King Kabilaprom, who cut off his own head
after losing a bet to his son, Prince Thammaban. His daughters then had
to take turns carrying their father’s head around a mountain, never
letting it hit the ground for fear that fire and drought would engulf
the world.
The daughter carrying the head on April 12 is designated that year’s
Queen Songkran. This year, that duty falls to Saturday’s princess,
Mahotorntevee. Dressed in a black dress with onyx, she will lead parades
throughout the kingdom on the back of a peacock, carrying a discus in
one hand and a trident in the other.
The ascension of each princess brings prognostications from
fortunetellers and soothsayers for Thailand’s prospects in the coming
year. Dressed in black and with a taste for hog deer, Mahotorntevee
generally inspires dark divinations.
For starters, the coming year is predicted to be a wet one, with 600
rain showers covering the forests, oceans and land. Astrologers expect
flooding, which is hardly a bold prediction, given Thailand’s history.
Fortunetellers say the rice god predicts a weak harvest, with only one
in 10 crops turning a profit.
More dire predictions say the price of salt will skyrocket and illness
will spread. On the other hand, ladies in waiting will be blessed with
happiness and treasure and HM the King will prosper.
