webfact Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Thailand’s Songkran Thai New Year celebrations have gathered international attention, with 35 foreign embassies collaborating with the Thai government to promote the festival worldwide. This initiative comes after UNESCO recognised the festival as an intangible cultural heritage in December of last year. Culture Minister Sermsak Pongpanich revealed that the embassies have produced a series of short videos wishing Thais a happy traditional New Year. “These clips are being shared on the Ministry of Culture’s social media platforms, giving the world a glimpse of Songkran and its cultural significance to Thailand.” The embassies involved in this project include Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Brunei, Canada, China, Denmark, Finland, France, India, Indonesia, Iran, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Kuwait, Laos, Luxembourg, Malaysia, Mexico, Mongolia, Morocco, the Netherlands, Nigeria, Russia, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, South Africa, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Timor-Leste, the United Arab Emirates, the US and the European Union. This year’s Songkran festival has noted an impressive increase in the number of international tourists, particularly flocking to Bangkok, according to Somboon Homnan, chief of the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration’s (BMA) operation centre. In light of several issues observed on the first day of the festival, the BMA increased the number of police and municipal officials at Silom and Khao San roads, the city’s two most frequented water festival sites, on the second day. Traffic on Silom Road was restricted, with one lane reserved for emergency use from midday until 8pm. Despite the festive atmosphere, Somboon reported 11 instances of pickpocketing on the first day of the celebration and urged festival-goers to stay vigilant. To manage the crowd and ensure safety, more than 3,000 police and security officers were deployed at Khao San Road on the second day of the festival, reported Bangkok Post. In addition, vendors at both Silom and Khao San Road were instructed to operate from the alleys rather than the pavement, following complaints of congestion on the first day of the festival, added Somboon. by Mitch Connor Picture courtesy of Stay in Thailand Source: The Thaiger 2024-04-15 Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe 1 1 1 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tropicalevo Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Nice photo. Thee are not many countries where you can get away with throwing water over a policeman. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hotchilli Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 4 hours ago, webfact said: Thailand’s Songkran Thai New Year celebrations have gathered international attention, with 35 foreign embassies collaborating with the Thai government to promote the festival worldwide. This initiative comes after UNESCO recognised the festival as an intangible cultural heritage in December of last year. What's cultural about the op photo? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fdimike Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Nothing 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Brian Hull Posted April 15 Popular Post Share Posted April 15 It just proves that humans are absolutely nuts. it's the most childish stupid festival imaginable. 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Popular Post Brian Hull Posted April 15 Popular Post Share Posted April 15 Is this the Thai "culture" that we farang are expected to respect? 1 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NativeBob Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 and Mongolia too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitPudding Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 5 minutes ago, Brian Hull said: It just proves that humans are absolutely nuts. it's the most childish stupid festival imaginable. And it lasts for 3 days. Haha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FruitPudding Posted April 15 Share Posted April 15 Will the 7 Deadly Days also be recognised as a traditional Thai event? 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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