Songkran 2023 - National 'Send your kids to play on the main road' day!
Last week was Songkran. From the 13th until the 15th, Thailand turns into a wet, drunken water fight as the whole country takes to the streets to celebrate the biggest holiday in Thailand.
Songkran has its roots in Buddhism. Its a celebration of the traditional new year, a time to clean and renew, for new hope and beginnings, to....OK. Just read all about it on Wikipedia because for most people, it means just one thing... Water fights, food and whisky. Yep, its party time Thai style!
So at 8.30 am, we did have a bit of traditional five minutes as we all went round to Grandmas house to dribble some 'blessed' water on her hands and say 'thank you' for err everything before heading straight onto the busy ring-road to 'play' water. One of Fon's 'uncles' had set up a tent, some huge water tanks, laid on some food and drinks and by the time we arrived at just gone 9 am, half the adults were already pissed! I forgot to mention. The music. That damned Thai music. Boom boom boom and lots of wailing at a BPM that would have Drum 'n Bass panting as it tried to keep up!
Songkran Instructions
So what you do is this: It's not difficult! You stand on the road, stop every vehicle that moves, and pour buckets of water over every living soul. For those that try to avoid the drenching, high-powered water guns take care of them!
Rinse and repeat until the whisky runs out or everyone is a drunken coma.
A final note before you reach the photos. My old Xiaomi 9 managed to take two of the finest photos I've ever taken...right before I got it soaked, which is why the last couple of pictures are rather blurred. If you'd been there and drinking, this is possibly what your vision would have been like later on in the day so I will just lie and say I did this on purpose for added realism!
I'm starting with my favourite picture! My old phone caught the moment perfectly, especially the closed eyes of the old guy as he looked away to miss the water!
The kids, and a few adults, were lined up at the side of the ring road, ready to ambush every passing car and bike.
Uncle had kindly provided a pair of 1000 litre water tanks to ensure there would be no water shortages!
The rest of the adults had gathered under the tent in the spectators gallery, simply enjoying the food, whisky and music...
...That was being pumped out of these two speaker stacks which were, in my opinion, rather too close to the water action for comfort!
The irrigation system was completed by feeding water from the two big tanks into two smaller water butts strategically placed right next to the road for fast top-up times!
Another of my favourite shots. Four people, including a baby, on one motorcycle about to get drenched under an avalanche of icy cold water! What could possibly go wrong?!
A post phone getting wet photo! The pack surrounds a defenseless woman and child on a scooter!
And if people don't slow down and stop, simply run into the road and stop them!
Everyone enjoying an epic battle with one of the many pick-up trucks who spend the day marauding the island armed with water butts and infantry divisions of water-gun toting conscripts!
And that was that for another year! I have to be honest. This was the first full-on Songkran for 3 years and normally, after over a dozen years here, I've grown to be rather bored of it and find it nothing but a hassle. This year though, with it all being fresh and new again, I had an absolutely wonderful day! Normal Scrooge mode will return next April!
Wouldn't it be nice if real wars could be settled this way!
Thanks for reading
@nathen007
PS If anyone wants to join in next year, I pinned our base camp to the wonderful @pinmapple![//]:# (!pinmapple 9.48807 lat 99.95180 long Songkran water wars base camp! d3scr)
For the best experience view this post on Liketu
https://twitter.com/897916360512221185/status/1648602245536292865
The rewards earned on this comment will go directly to the people( @nathen007 ) sharing the post on Twitter as long as they are registered with @poshtoken. Sign up at https://hiveposh.com.
Congratulations, your post has been added to Pinmapple! 🎉🥳🍍
Did you know you have your own profile map?
And every post has their own map too!
Want to have your post on the map too?
It would be nice if real wars can be settled this way. I was all smiles as I read through. I love it.
Perhaps in a way it is symbolic, especially as we have so many Ukrainians and Russians living here on Samui. Maybe in some small way it helps :-)
Thanks for coming by, I'm sorry we haven't met before and I will pop over to see your blog too :-)
Wow, that means Samui is open. That's beautiful. Thanks for sharing and I will follow suit too.
It still felt like a fun festival. I firstly thought the festival was done during tbe rainy seasons until I saw the pictures, and I'm sure real wars could be settled this way, I just think some governments are far too gone into violence and what then would be the use for their guns?
I'm.glad you spotted the wet roads! The entire road around the island was drenched. I actually feel guilty as the amount of clean water wasted is unbelievable, especially when I read the posts here about the borehole project in Ghana and the fact they have so little clean water.
It's is fun though...a guilty pleasure !
The rainy season should start at the end of May, April is is nonstop 35c + heat.
Hope you're well mate and thank you for dropping by, it's always a real pleasure when one of Hives top creators drops by :-)
I want this festival again 😁 I had so much fun with the water and the party. I don't want it to end. Also I heard in may there's something called rocket festival. Just in time to be in Thailand to see that one 😊
Rocket festival is up in Isaan. Crazy Isaan music and dancing combined with drunk people, smoking and huge rockets full of gunpowder. Its an absolute winner lol....the rockets have to be seen to be believed.
😄 In Laos apparently they have similar thing but I'll be in Thailand so who knows, I'd be in Isaan and checking out those places. When I am back, I also want to check out Ayutthaya as I passed the station when I was traveling to Nongkhai.
Wow, never heard of this… looks fun. I can imagine after 3 years this one was different.
Alcohol, water… hahaha 🤣
Good to hear you had a wonderful day.
Enjoy your week further 👋🏻😊
The picture of "a family on the motorbike" is particularly enjoyable, they didn't wear helmets, something similar to Vietnam. Is it hot there now, so this is a fun way to cool down from the hot temperatures😃
The timing is perfect as April is by far the hottest, driest month here.
I thought the family on the motorcycle would remind you of home lol...but to be fair, when I've been in Ho Chi Minh or Hanoi, most people were wearing helmets. I guess like in Bangkok, the police are keener to catch people.
Have a beautiful week :-)
Haha, yes. There aren't many police in the countryside, so many locals don't wear helmets, including my brothers too. I always told them "Safety is first and taking care of yourself please" ^^