Songkran

From Songkran

Songkran (Thai New Year) is officially celebrated from 13-15 April, in theory at least. In practice it seems to start earlier and go on longer. The main tradition associated with this event used to be the pouring of a cup of water over one's friends and relations to wish them good luck for the new year. This seems to have evolved over time to the extent that today's celebrations take the form of a mega water fight. All very childish, but good fun, up to a point anyway. I was co-opted to join a posse from the village where I was staying, who were heading into the centre of town to join the fray. We set off in an open topped pickup truck, laden with great barrels of water and things to throw it with. As we got nearer to town, the traffic slowed to a crawl and fire (i.e. water) was exchanged with nearby trucks and bystanders on the pavement, who in turn returned the soaking. Once in the centre, we joined the crowds in the streets, which had been pedestrianized for the occasion. There followed hours of wet mayhem, with numerous bands attempting to compete with each other on sound level, and a generally happy crowd enjoying the party.
I could only stick a day and a half of this, and opted for a quieter party in the village for my last day in Thailand.