Songkran water festival Thailand
The water festival in Thailand does not start until the 12 April or something this year but my belief is that from the 9 of April you will see people leaving Bangkok and not coming back until Monday the 19 of April. Pattaya, Phuket, Bangkok, and North Thailand have all officially different dates that you should be splashing water but nobody cares anymore.
So what can you expect from this water festival if you never been here before? You can probably see warning to not dress to sexy and that all big guns are banned and that all whatever other rules they put out will not be enforced. Who is going to arrest a girl to showing too much skin when everybody is on holiday and drenched in water? You can also expect a few hundred of dead and thousands of injured when people trough ice cubes in the faces of people on motorbikes with no helmets. You can also expect people driving drunk and killing them and few other people each time.
The normal Thai tradition for the older Thai people and a gentle splash on the head is all gone and are celebrated this week. Now it is everyone for fun and revenge instead. You can also expect that much of the water put on your face is not water but urine and it is not fresh water but old smelly one.
You are actually by law forced to bring your passport out with you in Thailand but bring a copy it will be to wet also bring a plastic zip bag for mobile phones and cameras. Nobody will care if they ruin your 1000 USD camera and I mean it. If you say no they will just splash anyway and laugh about it.
If you living in Thailand you can expect all services to stop working and all problems to be fixed after the holidays nothing will work during the festival. Do not believe anyone tell you that they will come and install and deliver anything during Songkran festival.
You are totally right I do not celebrate Songkran festival at all I did it a few years ago when could go out and play and it will stop at night. Now people have to stand and work (some people actually have to work) in wet and smelly clothing all day. People lost all respect for the old tradition and many Thai people are going abroad at this time of year. I think a no should be respected and if I do not want to have a golden shower forced upon me I should have to and nobody else either for that matter.
To many people die each year in stupid accidents for this to be a holiday of joy and since they old tradition of Thai New Year is gone I do not celebrate Songkran but you are welcome to if you want. We also have a lack of water in Thailand and I think the water should be saved for the dry season and not wasted on the streets.
Happy Songkran 2010
