Why modern day Songkran is more like movie ‘The Purge’

[smutcakes]

I for one love Songkran.

I love the days off from work and the quiet periods before and after it.

I love having a play in the water.

If i am bored of it i go inside and relax at home.

I certainly don't begrudge the Thais doing what they want on their New Year break after many of them working like dogs all year.

There is quite simply nothing people wont whinge relentlessly about.

Cant wait to get started on the Songkran build up. Will be in Bangkok this year, normally am up or down country so looking forward to get out and about and see whats going  on.

[Paul Catton]

7 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

My first Songkran was in the 90s, and it's probably been going on long before that. Most of the Thais involved in it probably weren't even alive when it became as it is today. I don't think it could be worse now than it was in the 90s as it was full on then. 

The only difference, and the reason I don't participate now is the ice.

 

As for speakers, in the early 90s I was extremely annoyed by a van selling fruit with a very loud speaker that kept pace with me as I walked along Jomptien Beach Rd.

I'm more disturbed by unmuffled m'bikes and longtails, though.

 

Perhaps a decade or so prior, likewise your tenure in Saudi would give insight as to mine.

Always look forward to your input.

 

Kind Regards

Paul

[Get Real]

3 hours ago, alex8912 said:

It’s a unique and fun holiday that a lot of old geezers moan about for the next month on TVF. I like Bangkok’s 3 days of water throwing and recklessness. I don’t know what traffic the OP is yacking on about Bangkok is dead for at least 5/6 days. Almost quiet on the streets. It’s also mainly in just a few areas in Bangkok as well. The ice water is extremely refreshing since it’s sooo hot out. Maybe some of you haters that brag about how many years you have locked yourself up should go out, buy a huge gun and water fight!!  It’s extremely therapeutic! Makes you feel exhilarated! You can take out all your pent up anger and aim your guns right at women and children if you want or Chinese or Russians or DT supporters or surprise spray someone on a motor bike that should have known Songkran was coming for the past year but still decided to drive one. 

Probably to ignorant to have experienced what Song Kran is really about. Also having ptoblem understanding that this recklessness leads to injuries and many deaths. But, ok, you just see that as fun. So, go on and play with your water now.

[HLover]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

I don’t  get your comment. I have a lot of fun with the kids on Silom in BKK and some of their moms as well. We spray water at each other and some of those kids catch me off guard a little later and get me good! 

There are also a lot of posters on here who do seem to have pent up anger towards women as you may know. Some against their own kids too. 

Just the way you wrote it seemed very malicious.

Meh, whatever.  My daughter will wear a full crash helmet and visor this year to protect her remaining eye.

[terryofcrete]

It depends where you go as said above. I had fun in Samui. In Pattaya  it was so bad that I was chased  with ice water into the path on an oncoming car and got hurt. Farang and Thai , equally active. Lost my cool with another farang and grabbed him by the throat.. my lady pulled me off him. Packed up and moved over to Hua Hin. No problems there, toned down and just a dash of water here and there. Good fun. Pattaya was drunken and malicious in places. A lot of Low Life thinking. 

[janpharma]

Songkran has nothing to do anymore those days with the original respectfull idea and purpose...it became just a moronic festival...for morons, the rest will go in quarantine and just wait until it's over.

[Get Real]

11 hours ago, HLover said:

"Pent up anger and aiming at women and children..."

 

So, your that guy. 

At least 92% of your post was accurate.

Now you were very nice, trying to make the guy really belive that 92% was accurate. I saw absolutely not more than maximun 5% that can be considered accurate after a long and careful deliberation.

[jacko45k]

17 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

My first Songkran in Chiang Mai 10 years ago was more then enough to convince me to stay the hell off my motorcycle and just stay home during this week of total madness. 

Beer supplies-check.

Frozen meals- check

Other foodstuffs, drinking water, snacks-check

A few books and DVDs-check

Have the AC s serviced - check.

Paint and brushes for a job to distract me-check.

Fuel for the lawn mower-check

Plenty food for pets-check

Ready for songkran, cabin fever and that Grizzly Adams look!

 

 

[Max66]

22 hours ago, alex8912 said:

It’s a unique and fun holiday that a lot of old geezers moan about for the next month on TVF. I like Bangkok’s 3 days of water throwing and recklessness. I don’t know what traffic the OP is yacking on about Bangkok is dead for at least 5/6 days. Almost quiet on the streets. It’s also mainly in just a few areas in Bangkok as well. The ice water is extremely refreshing since it’s sooo hot out. Maybe some of you haters that brag about how many years you have locked yourself up should go out, buy a huge gun and water fight!!  It’s extremely therapeutic! Makes you feel exhilarated! You can take out all your pent up anger and aim your guns right at women and children if you want or Chinese or Russians or DT supporters or surprise spray someone on a motor bike that should have known Songkran was coming for the past year but still decided to drive one. 

""Take all your pent up rage  and aim your guns at women and children ""....You are a PUNK, A COWARD AND A POS.

Edited March 17, 2018 by Max66
Ck

[Just1Voice]

9 hours ago, jacko45k said:

Beer supplies-check.

Frozen meals- check

Other foodstuffs, drinking water, snacks-check

A few books and DVDs-check

Have the AC s serviced - check.

Paint and brushes for a job to distract me-check.

Fuel for the lawn mower-check

Plenty food for pets-check

Ready for songkran, cabin fever and that Grizzly Adams look!

 

 

Except for the beer (I quit drinking 40 years ago), you sound like me. If I do happen to forget something, I send my wife to the store in the car. lol

 

[alex8912]

3 hours ago, Max66 said:

""Take all your pent up rage  and aim your guns at women and children ""....You are a PUNK, A COWARD AND A POS.

You are a grump completely not getting it!  Did you even read my other post?? Yes I do actually water play every year on Silom with children and woman and everybody else. It’s fun and all are enjoying. The kids like to sneak up on you! You ironically seem to have quite a lot of pent up anger just look at the way you texted you last few words!! You also must have quite  negative attitude as well to not understand my text. Sounds like YOU need to get out there on Silom this year and enjoy some therapeutic water play!!! Do you understand it’s a water gun? Not an AK-47?  What the heck is a pos? Some archaic word?

Edited March 17, 2018 by alex8912

[Acemaker]

On 3/16/2018 at 8:58 AM, Get Real said:

No, it´s not sanook! It´s pure madness. Songkran is from start a beautiful tradition, that turned into be a moronic activity for brainless dorks.

A bit like Christmas then.

[Rc2702]

9 hours ago, alex8912 said:

You are a grump completely not getting it!  Did you even read my other post?? Yes I do actually water play every year on Silom with children and woman and everybody else. It’s fun and all are enjoying. The kids like to sneak up on you! You ironically seem to have quite a lot of pent up anger just look at the way you texted you last few words!! You also must have quite  negative attitude as well to not understand my text. Sounds like YOU need to get out there on Silom this year and enjoy some therapeutic water play!!! Do you understand it’s a water gun? Not an AK-47?  What the heck is a pos? Some archaic word?

Pos = piece of shiiit 

[Rc2702]

It's just a bad idea to travel anywhere during that period and I'm very thankful my Mrs agrees. We will visit her folks last week of March, well before the madness and a large shopping to stock up. The death toll will be the daily discussion but I do think maybe it will be different where we are and a lot less crazy than previous years. We shall see

[Ulysses G.]

On 3/16/2018 at 1:52 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

My first Songkran was in the 90s, and it's probably been going on long before that. Most of the Thais involved in it probably weren't even alive when it became as it is today. I don't think it could be worse now than it was in the 90s as it was full on then. 

The only difference, and the reason I don't participate now is the ice.

 

As for speakers, in the early 90s I was extremely annoyed by a van selling fruit with a very loud speaker that kept pace with me as I walked along Jomptien Beach Rd.

I'm more disturbed by unmuffled m'bikes and longtails, though.

 

There was ice being thrown in the 1980s. I can't say before that. This photo was taken in Chiang Mai in the 1950s. The water war has been around for a long time.

 

 

 

[jacko45k]

15 hours ago, Just1Voice said:

Except for the beer (I quit drinking 40 years ago), you sound like me. If I do happen to forget something, I send my wife to the store in the car. lol

 

Wife and car will be away.... usual arrangement.

I have the motorcycle and nearby 7-11 but it may be risky!

Rain-mac, check!

[juice777]

Yep that's exactly what I say I think I said it on here to.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[juice777]

LOL. Doesn't matter where you go you are going to get wet.
Even in the country they line up to throw buckets of water on passing buses.
 
I used to love Songkran in Pattaya- great fun, till some idiot started the craze for putting ice in the water. Now I will be hiding for the duration.

Yeah that's what I hate about it the most know one used to do that in Chang Mail.

Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk

[thaibeachlovers]

11 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

There was ice being thrown in the 1980s.

I attended a number of Songkrans in Pattaya in the mid to late 90s and I never saw ice being used till the last one I was in, after which I avoided them. I don't remember the exact year though as the memory is not what it used to be.

[Rc2702]

2 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I attended a number of Songkrans in Pattaya in the mid to late 90s and I never saw ice being used till the last one I was in, after which I avoided them. I don't remember the exact year though as the memory is not what it used to be.

You remembered the tinned spaaghetti brand yet?

[Ulysses G.]

12 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

I attended a number of Songkrans in Pattaya in the mid to late 90s and I never saw ice being used till the last one I was in, after which I avoided them. I don't remember the exact year though as the memory is not what it used to be.

Chiang Mai was much bigger back then and they were using ice in the 1980s. The ice man would deliver it to people with big buckets all along Thapae and Moon Muang Roads.

[rickudon]

I enjoyed my first 4 or so Song khrans, what put me off was mainly the traffic jams, Not much fun sitting on the back of a pickup truck at the same spot for one hour. Now maybe just do a couple of hours at a quieter spot or in the village with my daughter.

[dick dasterdly]

I always feel sorry for those that have to travel on a 'bike for one reason or another during Songkran.  Extremely dangerous when more than a few idiots see nothing wrong with throwing buckets of water at passing 'bikes.....

 

Songkran would be a thoroughly enjoyable festival IF those participating made an effort to restrict the water throwing activities to others also joining in the fun!

[thaibeachlovers]

19 hours ago, Rc2702 said:

You remembered the tinned spaaghetti brand yet?

Who cares? It's off topic so this's the last post I'll make on it.

[thaibeachlovers]

3 hours ago, dick dasterdly said:

I always feel sorry for those that have to travel on a 'bike for one reason or another during Songkran.  Extremely dangerous when more than a few idiots see nothing wrong with throwing buckets of water at passing 'bikes.....

 

Songkran would be a thoroughly enjoyable festival IF those participating made an effort to restrict the water throwing activities to others also joining in the fun!

You miss the point of why they do it.

Certain antisocial people relish the chance to be dangerous and upset others when there will be no repercussions to their cowardly actions.

They target the motorbikes because they want the riders to fall off ( and hopefully be hurt ), and they target non participants precisely because they don't want to be part of it.

The last Songkran time I was in in Pattaya, I went out in the evening after it had quieted down, and was walking back to my hotel on a quiet soi, undampened. Unfortunately, one fat farang f******** had decided to target any that walked on the soi and soaked me. I was the only person in the soi other than him. Moron, first class.

 

On a lighter note, at the end of the last day playing water ( before ice ) in Pattaya, a group of us passed by a few older residents that had unfortunately believed the announcements that all water would cease at 6pm, and were going out somewhere all dressed up. Someone in the group squirted them, and one old gent decided I was the culprit and attacked me with his walking stick. I had to defend myself with my water pipe, so that Songkran finished for me with a fencing match, till he gave up and they went off muttering about young hooligans.

[thaibeachlovers]

10 hours ago, Ulysses G. said:

Chiang Mai was much bigger back then and they were using ice in the 1980s. The ice man would deliver it to people with big buckets all along Thapae and Moon Muang Roads.

I'm happy that that stupidity hadn't reached Pattaya when I there for Songkran, then.

[Ulysses G.]

Way back when, Songkran in Pattaya started later than everywhere else and the people who hated it would go there during that time and return home when it was over where they came from . However, eventually, it started earlier and earlier in Pattaya, until it was 10 days instead of three. That is how it became the monstrosity it is today.

[Gecko123]

Looking forward to spending Songkran......in Paris.

[joeyg]

On 3/16/2018 at 8:08 AM, PatOngo said:

Oh but, isn't it sanook!  

Unfortunately not anymore. I'm an old guy but in pretty good shape. Otherwise I wouldn't go out there for it. I have a friend coming in from the USA going to give it one more try this year and just be careful. Last year here in Pattaya. Things got really going over the edge. Not good.  Actually I just saw The Purge recently for the first time. I think you really may be onto something...

Edited March 23, 2018 by joeyg

[joeyg]

On 3/21/2018 at 6:40 AM, Ulysses G. said:

Way back when, Songkran in Pattaya started later than everywhere else and the people who hated it would go there during that time and return home when it was over where they came from . However, eventually, it started earlier and earlier in Pattaya, until it was 10 days instead of three. That is how it became the monstrosity it is today.

Yep.  it's out of control now for sure.  It Is becoming a monstrosity...