The saga of Sunday April 13, 2025 in Ko Pha Ngan, Thailand
It was the first day of Pesach morning and everyone, but Eitan, slept in because of the previous late night. Eitan was giddy about his birthday and up early! Just like I’d done for the twins in Vietnam, I gave him sunglasses that said Happy Birthday and we enjoyed a small cake for breakfast in honor of his birthday.
I was afraid we were going to miss lunch again, so we made a point of getting to Chabad earlier. The boys and Chaim left before me and made it for Torah reading which took forever. It was another stiflingly hot day.
The first day of Pesach coincided with Songkran, the Thai New Year. It is customary on Songkran to gently throw water on passersby and adorn their faces with wet chalk for good luck. The Thai locals were indeed gentle – sprinkling water or using a light hose, asking permission first, always smiling, saying hello, and wishing blessings for a happy new year. By the time I reached Chabad, I was soaked and covered in chalk.
For reasons I can’t fully articulate, this felt different than when we were in India. There, it felt like I was being asked to do something that violated my own religious beliefs. Here, it felt like I was helping others celebrate theirs.
The crowd for lunch was much smaller. Maybe a few hundred people and lunch was more of the same food. While Eitan tolerated the options, Amichai was getting more creative and adventurous with his food. The boys ate quickly and then ran out to play again.
Some of the Israeli backpackers brought water guns with them to Chabad in “honor” of Songkran. Our boys were thrilled and immediately entered a water gun fight with other kids. They ended up drenched.
With the oppressive sun, little food at home, and six hours until second seder, no one showed any interest in going home.
Eventually, Chaim took the twins home when they’d had enough. Amichai and I had begun studying Pirkei Avot/Ethics of Our Fathers in March as part of his Judaic Studies curriculum. The Chabad provided the perfect opportunity to spend some time learning and practicing for his bar mitzvah. He’s a good chevrutah/study partner when he’s not exhausted and willing to learn. And, he’s so good at leyning/chanting Torah. It’s truly a joy to listen to him.
When we finally decided it was time to leave, Amichai walked ahead of Eitan and me, giving us a chance to have some alone time together. As soon as we began walking, Eitan lamented that people hadn’t really sung “Happy Birthday” to him like they had done for his brothers in Zanzibar and Hanoi. I felt a need to rectify this for him because a kid turning double digits should feel great about this momentous occasion.
As we walked down the street, I told every passing Israeli that it was Eitan’s birthday. Each passerby cheered for Eitan, wished him a happy birthday, and gave him a high five. It helped him feel a little better.
Then, we spotted twenty or thirty Israeli backpackers in a giant water gun fighton the main drag, and I seized the opportunity. I told a few of the guys it was Eitan’s birthday. Immediately, they erupted into celebratory cheers. Two of the guys stopped the water gun fight, and one lifted Eitan onto his shoulders as the entire crowd sang “Happy Birthday” to him in Hebrew. Eitan’s face lit up like the sun.
When I couldn’t imagine it getting any better for him, one of the guys sprayed him with a water gun, handed it to Eitan, and told him to spray everyone. The water gun fight restarted and Eitan was in the middle of it on the high ground. He was beaming. These backpackers were probably just having fun, but to Eitan they made him feel special and seen. It was the most epic birthday a kid like him could have.
Eventually, we walked home drenched. Back at the villa we went swimming and played games for the rest of the day as we wiled away the hours until second seder.
As expected, the number of second night seder participants was significantly smaller than the first night. There were only nine of us, six of whom were our family. Joining us were two Chabad shluchim – one from America and one from Australia – who came to Koh Pha Ngan just in case there were visitors who needed help running a second seder and who didn’t speak Hebrew. It felt like they had been flown in just for us. Closing out the party was a Venezuelan man who wasn’t even sure there would be a seder for him to attend.
Because our group was so small, and we are educated enough to run our own seder, we were able to use many of our own traditions and tunes while also learning a few new ones from the shluchim and our new Venezuelan friend. Amichai and Eitan sat very nicely and asked great questions.
As we were having our seder, we were surrounded by hundreds of Israelis who had just come for dinner not realizing that many observant Jews living outside of Israel keep two nights of seder. Separately, the Chabad rabbi was leading a smaller seder at his house for the small Israeli community that lives in Koh Pha Ngan and observe two nights, too. Being part of something so small while surrounded by something so large felt strange, and strangely comfortable.
It had been a long day, full of excitement, learning, lots of water, and an unforgettable birthday. We all passed out when we got home.
