Why is Songkran disliked by so many Expats?

[thaibeachlovers]

2 minutes ago, Shaunduhpostman said:

Thai people seem to mostly enjoy Songkran

Only till they have a problem.

I don't think hiso Thais enjoy getting soaked while in their best clothes any more than any of us. If water wars in Bkk was restricted to the parks and Khao San Rd it would suffice for most. Other places more problematic as parks are rare in LOS.

 

Anyway, I just wear my raincoat and pretend it's a rainstorm when I have to go out in it. This time I hope I don't have to.

 

Best outfit I ever saw for Songkran in Pattaya was a farang riding a bike while wearing flippers and face mask, snorkel.

Worst was the tourist that emerged from her hotel on Second Rd all dressed in her best up on the last day, when it's all on, and walked off, only to return absolutely saturated 5 minutes later.

 

I used a waterproof camera and got lots of really great shots.

[thailand49]

I don't know the full story as to why if you know unless you had to go down to the immigration during that time. Whenever I come back to Thailand on a trip I go right back down and get another re-entry.

Songkran, use to be fun did it each year as long as my son and friends wanted. Then about 9 years ago I still remember it well 18th of April, we came home from throwing water all day with his friends. The family and my brother and his kids were all cleaning getting ready to go home. My son comes running in with his little friend crying.  I found out the kids mother brother was beating on her. Told by the wife stay out of it, but it seem to go on forever. I don't look for trouble but I can see from everyone face even the wife it wasn't good so finally I said enough and went over with my brother. 

Once inside I saw the mother beaten bloody I told the guy to stop pulled him off I could feel his body no full strength for his size indicates he was a bit drunk. Since he was drunk I let my guard down a bit and try to help the lady get up next thing I felt something turn in time to see the guy swinging something at my head I pull back and slipped and fell when I got up I realized the fall had broken my nose and I was cut by a butcher knife near my tempo.  I was bleeding badly by now my brother had a hold of him. I went crazy ran back to my house and grabbed my wooden samurai sword that I played with went back to the house and told my brother let him go!  I raise the sword told him in Thai bring it on you piece of shit! 

While I was waiting bleeding dizzy I focus on the butcher knife and his head I'm going to kill this guy?  He all of a sudden rush forward I missed his head but crush down on his shoulder he went down in pain, I raised the sword again this time with the full intend of killing him, luckily my brother rush and grabbed me telling me if I do I won't be able to stay here.

Basically I took him outside and beat the day lights out of him destroy to the point he couldn't walk. 

The Nongprue policed were called but they never came my brother took me to the hospital got stitches told by the Doctor another inch you would have been dead. 

After that Songkran was never the same it is all I think about during these two weeks every year! 

Edited April 12, 2018 by thailand49

[samsensam]

 

a quick look around at songkrn time and you will see it's the children, teenagers and low class, low educated adults involved for by far the most part.

 

my thai friends are middle class, well educated (in thailand and abroad), professionals who dont look forward to, and hate what goes on, during songkran.

 

if you think all thais enjoy songkran then i guess you are hanging out with the lower class uneducated section of society. everyone to their own.

[ChiangMaiLightning2143]

I will be out tomorrow chucking as much water as possible at moody disgruntled Farangs  whilst singing old MacDonald had a farm.   

That’s fine. Chucking water is one thing some of the excesses reek of malice and hostility. Blasting people in the eyes and ears on purpose and laughing at motorcyclists who fall down
Always the Farang are the wurst.
Almost seen a fight once when some fool tried to open a restaurant door to soak people inside.

[watcharacters]

9 hours ago, impulse said:

My first Songkran in BKK, I didn't mind when some too-old-to-be-kids doused me when I passed on the back of a scooter taxi.  Until I got home and found out that my shirt and pants were ruined by bleach or some other chemicals in the water.  I didn't miss the shirt and pants  as much as I would have missed my eyesight had they hit me a little higher.   Same problem when they toss the water with all the talc (?) powder.  And that's not to mention the risk of taking a tumble at speed off the scooter.

 

That's a criminal offense but  TIT.

 

[sammieuk1]

8 minutes ago, ChiangMaiLightning2143 said:

That’s fine. Chucking water is one thing some of the excesses reek of malice and hostility. Blasting people in the eyes and ears on purpose and laughing at motorcyclists who fall down
Always the Farang are the wurst.
Almost seen a fight once when some fool tried to open a restaurant door to soak people inside.

Please don't hold the door shut next time I needed the toilet.

[theguyfromanotherforum]

I don't know Dan

[sammieuk1]

9 hours ago, sanemax said:

I do feel that people like you are problematic , deliberately targeting people who don't want to play .

   If you would just play water fights  with other like minded people , the rest of us who dont like water fights would be able to go outside .

Ever thought Thailand not for you just saying.

[dave moir]

Because they are boring old farts!!!! If they don't like it bugger off back to where you came from! ?

[sanemax]

15 minutes ago, sammieuk1 said:

Ever thought Thailand not for you just saying.

Would be rather stupid to decide not to live in a Country because of four days of Songran

[p414]

for those of you that enjoy songkran..I was driving along Sukhumwit opposite Lotus and saw a large parked 

tanker with 3 pick up trucks waiting to be filled from this tanker   [app 4 pm 5 years ago]..On the side of this big tanker were the words in English ''..EMTY YOU TILET'.....and a phone number.

Edited April 12, 2018 by p414

[tropo]

11 hours ago, robblok said:

 Here in the gated muh bahn no problems, if i go out maybe.. but nothing that comes close to Pattaya.. but then again people chose to live in a party town.

4

Yeah> I wouldn't choose to live anywhere else. Songkran is a small price to pay LOL.

[sammieuk1]

3 minutes ago, p414 said:

for those of you that enjoy songkran..I was driving along Sukhumwit opposite Lotus and saw a large parked 

tanker with 3 pick up trucks waiting to be filled from this tanker   [app 4 pm 5 years ago]..On the side of this big tanker were the words in English ''..EMTY YOU TILET'.....

Weil's disease and cholera all part of the fun. 

[tropo]

10 hours ago, sanemax said:

10 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

I will be out tomorrow chucking as much water as possible at moody disgruntled Farangs  whilst singing old MacDonald had a farm.   

I do feel that people like you are problematic , deliberately targeting people who don't want to play .

   If you would just play water fights  with other like minded people , the rest of us who dont like water fights would be able to go outside .

People like Sammieuk1 ARE the problem and give Songkran a bad name. They get no fun out of wetting people who don't mind it. They are looking to upset people who want to stay dry. He's not throwing water on "moody disgruntled Farangs". He trying to MAKE them moody and disgruntled. 

 

Edit: Corrected: got the names mixed up. 

Edited April 12, 2018 by tropo

[Russell17au]

Songkran has been part of Thai culture a lot longer than any of you farang have lived here and you chose to come and live in this country with these cultures so stop whinging and whining, if you are stupid enough to go and wear your good clothes when you know it is Songkran then that is your problem.

If you do not like Songkran then pack your bags and go somewhere else for a couple of weeks because Songkran is here to stay.

I'm 73 and I enjoy walking around the Moo Baan with the music and the kids and getting wet and getting the kids wet to, it's a good life.

[swissie]

12 hours ago, KC 71 said:

The Original Songkran


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Funny, in the OP is says something like "Farangs escaping Thailand during Songkran". Why?

FOR TOURIST HUB DWELLERS: Take this opportunity to spend a few days in the Thai-Sticks where Songkran is more celebrated the traditional way (see picture above).
The few kids that throw water at motorcyclists can easily be "reighned-in". After having been doused the first time, return with some Ice-Cream and tell 'em: "You had your fun, no more water in Farangs face, OK?" Works in the sticks!
Again, some "Tourist-Hub" Farangs should take this opportunity to explore the other Thailand for a few days out of the year.
CAUTION: You may even like it and do the same thing next year!
Cheers.
PS: By "Thai-Sticks" I don't mean Udon or Ubon or Buri-Ram City, more like a village of 500 souls, featuring 1 (one) Hotel, likely to be owned by the local chief of Police.

[moe666]

They complain just to have something to complain about, for many if it is Thai culture it is bad I want to change it

[tropo]

1 hour ago, Russell17au said:

Songkran has been part of Thai culture a lot longer than any of you farang have lived here and you chose to come and live in this country with these cultures so stop whinging and whining, if you are stupid enough to go and wear your good clothes when you know it is Songkran then that is your problem.

If you do not like Songkran then pack your bags and go somewhere else for a couple of weeks because Songkran is here to stay.

I'm 73 and I enjoy walking around the Moo Baan with the music and the kids and getting wet and getting the kids wet to, it's a good life.

1

You probably haven't seen Songkran in Pattaya then? There's nothing that resembles "Thai culture" here. It's just a chance for idiots, children or drunks to have their fun.

 

At 73, you could be well into your second childhood. 

[bwpage3]

12 hours ago, sanemax said:

I do feel that people like you are problematic , deliberately targeting people who don't want to play .

   If you would just play water fights  with other like minded people , the rest of us who dont like water fights would be able to go outside .

If you don't like Songkran, what are you doing living in Thailand?

 

This is their New Year's celebration.

 

If not about water fighting, it is a holiday that happens to center around water and the virtues for the coming year

 

It's good luck to have water tossed on you and talc.

 

Songkran is an absolutely wild and fun time!

 

 

[Dene16]

I for one love songkran, its a fantastic time of year when every Thai person, even if they don't participate, are so happy. 

It's 5 days out of the whole year, if you don't like it stay in, its that simple

You would of thought that the world had ended the people here moan about it

In our village all the kids pile into a pick up which is then driven around slowly from village to village for them to do their worst. They even come round with a speaker laden pickup, stop, and blast out old issan tunes for the old people to dance to for an hour or so. Then move on to another village

We get the same thread every year with probably the same people having the same rant again.

Yes, it can be hectic in places like Pattaya, but lets face it you chose to live there 

Deal with it and move on. 

[KMartinHandyman]

If you don't like Songkran, what are you doing living in Thailand?
 
This is their New Year's celebration.
 
If not about water fighting, it is a holiday that happens to center around water and the virtues for the coming year
 
It's good luck to have water tossed on you and talc.
 
Songkran is an absolutely wild and fun time!
 
 

My wife is Thai National and dislikes what’s become the contemporary festival behavior.
It may have something to do with having her breasts groped and necklace stolen while trying to defend herself as a teen girl or just being an adult now and not wanting to be soaked every time she leaves the house for a week.
Should she leave the country?

[bandito]

19 hours ago, robblok said:

I think its the GOM factor and the inability to adapt to the locals. 

 

As for the 300+ people dying during the 7 days.. nice to attribute them all to songkran... now if they deducted that amount from what is averagely killed on the roads then you got real numbers. But i guess that is too much thinking for the local expat trying to justify Songkran is bad. 

 

I personally don't participate anymore because of my work but I always had good fun on Songkran. 

 

Of course there are always extra dangers and exceptions.. but that is it just live with it. 

 

All these "revellers" can shoot themselves with large water guns in the place where the sun never shines.

And I hope it hurts.

[uli65]

I hate Songkran and even many thai people dislike this stupid festival.

[tropo]

5 minutes ago, uli65 said:

I hate Songkran and even many thai people dislike this stupid festival.

The question should be "why does anyone like Songkran"?... anyone over 12 years of age, that is.

 

Most people who come on here to support Songkran are either posting drunk, or they're in the early stages of dementia.

Edited April 12, 2018 by tropo

[newatthis]

9 hours ago, dave moir said:

Because they are boring old farts!!!! If they don't like it bugger off back to where you came from! ?

Ah! There's always one.

[jacko45k]

Because in the main we are a collection of grumpy old men who are disgruntled to have their regular mundane routines disturbed.

[Curt1591]

I like the constant songkran music being blasted throughout the neighborhoods for the last week.
 

 

[Sealbash]

Pattaya needs to get tough and stop Songkran going on far too long 10 days or more crazy. 2 days is enough. Any wonder so many expats get out of town

Not to spoil anyone’s rant, but Songkran does not last 10 days in Pattaya. It would need to have started two days ago


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[Lacessit]

10 hours ago, sammieuk1 said:

Ever thought Thailand not for you just saying.

Ever thought falang grubs who enjoy humiliating and demeaning other falangs don't belong in Thailand?

Edited April 13, 2018 by Lacessit

[sammieuk1]

20 minutes ago, Lacessit said:

Ever thought falang grubs who enjoy humiliating and demeaning other falangs don't belong in Thailand?

Bye then have a nice flight.