Thursday, April 13, 2006

Songkran

Songkran, the thai's new year is also know as the water festival...
It is also a spring cleaning day traditionally and religious belief that anything old and useless must be thrown away or it will bring bad luck to the owner...

Of cos...the most popular activity...is the water splashing part...which is why it is called the water festival...where they believe that splashing water on you wash away your bad luck...

And Chiangmai happens to be the most popular city for songkran celebration....

Yesterday is the eve of songkran...and I thought i should go out for some preview...

I was warned by my brother to water-proof myself...and i thought...how scary can it be to be wet...
i protect my camera with my diving marine case...and the rest of me ready for the water to splash my bad luck and sadness away...

Something that makes me laugh...
Which i s something i haven't been doing for a long time...
And songkran did cheer me up a bit..

I am quite surprise that people really go all the way out to celebrate this...
Children and teenagers...crowd themselves in a rented pick-up...
with a giant tub of water....equiped with water guns and pills...
and people along the streets...prepare pills of water to splash at anyone who drive by....
people along the river...
Their ammunition is unlimited...
The people from the shops...drag their garden hose to join in the fight...
And the worst type...are those...who splash icy cold water on you...send you the chill...which is why i really prefer river water...which is warm...

NO ONE IS SPARED.
Once you enter chiangmai city....

Today I shall brave myself into the city again...
In the hope that they wash my sadness away for me...
Meanwhile...to show my graditute for their kindness...
I am buying a water gun today hoping to help other people wash their bad luck away....