Splashin' Pics of Thai Songkran Water Festival

The Thai New Year is called Songkran. It is THE holiday of the year, stretching over a 10-12 day period, celebrating the first moon after spring equinox. As it is a festival of fertility and a new cycle about to start it is done with water thrown, poured, sprayed, splashed, hosed and hurled on anyone moving in public space.

In an agar culture a ceremonial tradition of wishing good luck and prosperity in the coming year, was properly done with water. Originally an act of symbolism were scented water was poured over the hands or shoulder of the one receiving the greeting.





Today is very far from the symbolism and any reverence to the heavenly benefactors is long lost. BUT it is a good show and the back packers seem to like it. One time a year you can get completely loose and virtually free to kill somebody by accident. Which sure does happen.



The solely traditional way of celebrating is no more than 20-25 years back, so something indicates the step up to drive it into hooliganism could stem from tourist approval and engagement.

Traditional ways are still taught and practiced in schools and institutions.





Children love it.
But there's not far from the inhibiting rules of tradition to raids down the lawlessness of the road ... and it's not just for children.

Here's a couple of well grown and well equipped revellers surging the roadside. Seems to be farangs (westerners).









Of course lots of accidents happen. A normal death-toll for the 10 day period is about a 1000. Bad years are as high as 5000.
Authorities have tried regulating the phenomena, but are unable to deal with the core problem, that the actions of someone's "sanuk-sanan" are the cause of death and mayhem to others.

'Sanuk-sanan' means 'feeling good', 'having a good time'. That the police cannot do any thing are in the nature of the festival, which is first of all to have a good time. Next, the East Asian concept of guilt has to do with your actions. If you get killed because someone hurls water at you so you crash and die, then it is your own fall, because only you decided to go on motorbike that moment on that particular road when a bucket of water was hurled at you motorbike.

Impossible to address the problem itself, police have tried to make regulations concerning the water that's hurled, speedlimits on on the vehicles cruising with water throwers and even set limits on the pressure from the water guns. Ice water has been banned too, to the regret of hardcore pranksters, as the victims stiffened as they crashed. Some literally did... get heart seizure.

One year they decided wet t-shirts was a hazard to traffic. Old farangs (westerns) on motorbikes crashed because they were distracted by all the wet t-shirts and didn't keep their eyes in the traffic, the presumption went.



Something there could be about it, it's always about sex in Thailand. Even in tourist promotions of the event they join the sex image with tradition. These 'guys' in this pic I wouldn't touch though -- they are cute, but they are 'katoy', transvestites, drags when they're best.



Besides water, talcum powder is a popular ingredients to mix in the water or to throw by itself. Makes a lot of mess too. For some reason it's on the ban list this year. It could be anthrax or something.





[edit on 15-4-2007 by khunmoon]

Very impressive pictures, I can tell you put some time into this post and I found it very entertaining. By the way I hate to ask this question but I am trying to figure out how to post pics so they are visible like yours in a post. I only know how to post them with a URL link and it does not look as good. If you have a chance I could use some pointers.

Now that's a good party! That is a party I would like to go to!

It's looks like fun. Im sure it is something that is uplifting to the spirts of the people. Sometimes it's good to go out and have fun for a day. These are our lives and sometimes we are placed in hard situations. I believe that joy is needed in peoples lives no matter what is going on in the bigger picture. It may be best to stop focusing on the bigger picture from time to time and enjoy yourself.

Sometimes certain things have to be banned in order for the safety of the people but it's good they are looking out for the people without calling the all festivity off.

Styki

Why is it that you claim everything that has gone wrong here is the westerners. I guess the westerners have taken over... It's only them out their having a good time. If anything happens to go wrong it must be the westerners.

Then, god forbid your govenment block a western internet site.

Styki

Thanks for the enlightenment...gotta like any festival that incorporates Super Soakers..

[edit on 15-4-2007 by JohnnyCanuck]

Here's an update of the first three days of songkran.

www.nationmultimedia.com...

On a sadder note, Songkran has seen 238 people killed and another 3,180 injured in 2,823 road accidents between this past Wednesday and Saturday. The road toll remains slightly lower than that of 2006.

Sixty-seven people died and another 886 were injured in 789 accidents yesterday alone.

A Westerner drowned in the historic Chiang Mai moat after a heavy bout of drinking. Many locals had been swimming in the moat.

Drinking drivers were the main cause of road accidents. About 43 per cent of accidents are caused by alcohol, police reported. Speeding accounted for 17.5 per cent and reckless driving 10 per cent.

Motorcycles are involved in more than eight of every 10 accidents. Pickups are involved in 10 per cent of all accidents.

Khon Kaen has recorded the most fatalities at 14 with Phitsanulok and Chiang Mai at 11 and 10 respectively, according to the Public Health Ministry.

Traffic on major Bangkok-bound routes is starting to become congested as commuters head back to the capital.

More water splashing...

...in a more classic manner. Truely fun!



A U-turn on booze


Warriors enjoy the strife


Raids go on endlessly




But who can enjoy that traffic


Some obviously can

That looks like a nice fun time. Too bad we dont have something like that here in the states. I can't believe how much water is in the streets. The elephants were even joining in on the fun.


Pie

Wow, supersoaker must make a fortune in that country

It's events like these that re-unite communities. This is why you see alot of festivals in older countries around the world. It's a way of getting the community closer together. It's great, in my opinion.

Many of our western cultures are dependant on pure competition, and absolutely no teamwork, nor close community efforts. We would definately benefit from more community festivities like this.

They had a big scene in "Ong Bak (The Thai Warrior)" That showed the festival taking place as some elephants ran wild through the streets with plenty of people throwing water around. It was a good movie if you're into late 90's style asian action films.