Do You Hate Songkran?

[mhan77]

I actually enjoyed playing with the water near my house today.

When we set off for Khao Neeiow Road, at the end of my soi was a neighbour who likes a drink. He was lying flat on his back. We thought to much to drink until we saw him getting mouth to muth resusitation. Turned out that he was hit by a car and died. The weird thing was that only 3 people were seeing to him - the others were dancing about in front of cars as if they were invincable.

I used to do wild, dangerous things (alcoholic for 20 years) so maybe I've just had enough - but the activities today made me feel sick.

tragic

[cat5]

This will be my 15th Songkran and I hate it.

The first one was OK when I was young and drunk. The second was OK too. Now, the festival has become totally out of hand. Two years ago in Bangkok, I was "assaulted" - getting ice thrown in my face. Three years ago, I did the back of a pick-up thing and was bloody freezing - it was a nightmare.

At least the guys who bought a pick-up will get a chance to use it.

Anyone else hate this holiday?

"Hate" may be too strong a word, but it really pisses me off when people throw water or try to paint my face when I tell them not to do so. However, as my Thai has improved over the years, I have found very few try to do it now. I am armed with expletives.

[sanook2me]

Over 200 killed on roads so far

2 killed in riots

Go figure nothing is reported in the world wide press that at the same time as the riots over 200 people have been killed too but nothing reported..

I was out in the car yesterday and the problem with most of the motorbikes is they speed up to wizz past the water throwers at the side of the ride...dry road, wet road, slippy powder only equals accident waiting to happen....

I have no facts/figures to support this but i expect apart from alcohol speed is the major factor in most of the road deaths....

Have a happy songkran its now been extended to Friday for all you humbugs ! son nam nar

[jyoung]

I love Songkran. I am 33 and this will be my 4th Songkran. Although there may be some negative aspects on how some celebrate it nowadays. It doesn't make me hate it. I love it because I celebrate it the traditonal way with my girlsfriends' family. I get to drink with my Thai friends and enjoy the food. But most of all, I love it because I get to spend so much time with my girl indoors rather than in notorious places like Paragon, Emporium, or Central.

Well guys I am from Myanmar. Taking a holiday break in Bangkok. The holiday is quite long 10 day and boring. Yes this holiday is the same as Songkran called THINGYAN Water Festival. Actually the

Thin Gyan days are only 3 days like Thailand Songkran. But the rest days are just holiday and taking short break from job. The water festival here is a little bit different but more likely to Chaingmai Songkran. But water guns and pouring water with bowls are ment for children.

For adult, one can buy ticket at stages with different names( I would say monkey business) where they play Hip Hop and Disco, people dances like as if in Night Clubs. Or friends and family set up stages on their own premises and invite others to enjoy. Those Mandats use water jets and even WATER CANNONS .

These stages are called Mandat. City Hall also has this Kind of Mandat but different theme with traditional Dances performances and songs playing.

As you may know Mandalay City where the celebration is alittle bit different than Yangon(Rangoon). It is mor traditional theme.

You guys can google "Thingyan" Here is a link in Youtube. Enjoy.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HY2dFgTAfFA&feature=related

[Neeranam]

If she's Burma's hottest chick, I'm glad I chose Thailand.

[colino]

I hate Songkran

My first Songkran was in Pattaya . followed by 8 days in hospital with a stomach bug from the dirty water that some people used , (out of the big fish bowls or from puddles)

COLINO

[bob6023]

Truthfully I don't mind the thais doing it so much. Hey its their country. I really do hate the drunken falang that throws ise water in my face and then laughs his stupid ass off. really makes me want to hurt that guy, really really badly. Ice water in the face , by a drunken childish falang is assault. period. And if you're on a M/C its dam_n near attempted murder in my view. Stupid stupid

[Jimjim]

All you old farts need to just lighten up for the most part.

As for complaints about it being dangerous, well that's certainly true. I saw a statistic once that most deaths during Songkran are teenagers on motorbikes having too much fun and not driving carefully. Either they're drunk, not paying attention, getting hit by a drunk, or even wrecking when somebody throws water on them while they're on a motorbike. That's one thing I would like to see less of at Songkran...

[sanmiguel]

Yes when will it end here in Pattaya?

[Jimjim]

Truthfully I don't mind the thais doing it so much. Hey its their country. I really do hate the drunken falang that throws ise water in my face and then laughs his stupid ass off. really makes me want to hurt that guy, really really badly. Ice water in the face , by a drunken childish falang is assault. period. And if you're on a M/C its dam_n near attempted murder in my view. Stupid stupid

Ya, because farang shouldn't love the holiday because they're not Thai, right? Well, please could you not eat any Thai food for the rest of your life, or get a Thai massage, or speak any Thai words, or for that matter do anything or say anything that came from another country other than your own for the rest of your life, because that's just dam_n near thievery of culture. It's going to take a lot of research and countless hours for you to make this happen, but I know you can do it.

stupid stupid

[loong]

Truthfully I don't mind the thais doing it so much. Hey its their country. I really do hate the drunken falang that throws ise water in my face and then laughs his stupid ass off. really makes me want to hurt that guy, really really badly. Ice water in the face , by a drunken childish falang is assault. period. And if you're on a M/C its dam_n near attempted murder in my view. Stupid stupid

So, what you are saying is that ice water in the face by a drunken childish Thai is Ok, but by a Farang it's assault? If a Thai throws water at a moving motorbike, it's good fun but if a Farang does it it's Stupid Stupid?

[George4]

Truthfully I don't mind the thais doing it so much. Hey its their country. I really do hate the drunken falang that throws ise water in my face and then laughs his stupid ass off. really makes me want to hurt that guy, really really badly. Ice water in the face , by a drunken childish falang is assault. period. And if you're on a M/C its dam_n near attempted murder in my view. Stupid stupid

Ya, because farang shouldn't love the holiday because they're not Thai, right? Well, please could you not eat any Thai food for the rest of your life, or get a Thai massage, or speak any Thai words, or for that matter do anything or say anything that came from another country other than your own for the rest of your life, because that's just dam_n near thievery of culture. It's going to take a lot of research and countless hours for you to make this happen, but I know you can do it.

stupid stupid

That fooker should see a quack and soon! What farang with half a brain would be riding a M/c at Songran and not taking it very easy.

Attempted murder? with ice?I think that was The Big Boss starring Bruce lee......tell the doc to stop his TV.

Geez I hope I never run into this guy at Songran he would spoil a day out in paradise.

[Neeranam]

Sorrry if I offend anyone or as we say in Thailand Sum Num Na!

Som Nam Na, actually

[Fatdog]

I have just had my first Songkran, and had a great time.

The kids and adults played with water pistols, hoses and buckets of water for hours.

There was plenty food and drinks for the adults and plenty food and cola for the kids.

We had traditional celibrations as well as modern partying, a great time had by all. This was in the wifes village in Surin province.

I come from Scotland, and as was mentioned before, there is no way that 20 adults could drink for 10 hours without any problems starting.

I never saw anybody say a wrong word to anybody else.

The wifes brother was in charge of the music and when he put the music to load it only took a word from my wife (his older sister) for the volume to be turned down, no way that would happen where I come from.

From the very young to the very old, everybody had fun.

I am already looking forward to the next one, but only if it is in the wifes village.

FD

[loong]

I have just had my first Songkran, and had a great time.

The kids and adults played with water pistols, hoses and buckets of water for hours.

There was plenty food and drinks for the adults and plenty food and cola for the kids.

We had traditional celibrations as well as modern partying, a great time had by all. This was in the wifes village in Surin province.

I come from Scotland, and as was mentioned before, there is no way that 20 adults could drink for 10 hours without any problems starting.

I never saw anybody say a wrong word to anybody else.

The wifes brother was in charge of the music and when he put the music to load it only took a word from my wife (his older sister) for the volume to be turned down, no way that would happen where I come from.

From the very young to the very old, everybody had fun.

I am already looking forward to the next one, but only if it is in the wifes village.

FD

It's funny how sometimes things are so different, one place to another.

I've had fun at Songkran many times, but yesterday in this village was like war. So many alcohol fuelled arguments and fighting, never seen anything like it before! Still it was entertainment for the rest of the villagers

[sendbaht]

I'm in CM. I for the 2nd night went to Center Plaza to listen to the live band. Had a great time along with 15000 others.

They played their last song around 7pm, then I walked home. Great time, thank you CM!

Lots of water and cute girls dancing, better then staying home watching BBC or CNN over and over, not putting watching the news over and over down just does not work for me. We all like something differant.

[RickBradford]

A very nice scene on Ekkamai last evening.

A (Thai) businessman on his motorbike, young child on the back, pulled into a courtyard where some moronic (Thai) powder-faced nitwit slung a bucket of water at him. Businessmen gets off his bike, goes back and gives the PFN a good slap. The PFN's friends threaten to intervene so the businessman gives the PFN another solid slap, and the last I saw, a good five minutes later, that a couple of uniformed 'security guards' from the local condo had got involved and were making things worse.

I don't see much good humour around this event -- the water-slingers are just trying to have 'fun' at other people's expense during a time when the victims are supposed to accept it gracefully.

And yes, falang who grant themselves the license to behave like a**holes are definitely the worst -- I would have no hesitation in dishing out some treatment to them if they decide to have 'fun' at my expense.

[timi2546]

Count me in the "I hate Songkran" group....

joined here as well

[vahack]

if you hate the counrtry that much why the <deleted> are you here?

because Florida was full.

[Neeranam]

A (Thai) businessman on his motorbike, young child on the back, pulled into a courtyard where some moronic (Thai) powder-faced nitwit slung a bucket of water at him. Businessmen gets off his bike, goes back and gives the PFN a good slap. The PFN's friends threaten to intervene so the businessman gives the PFN another solid slap, and the last I saw, a good five minutes later, that a couple of uniformed 'security guards' from the local condo had got involved and were making things worse.

Excellent - quite right too.

[GungaDin]

George4.

Where can I get those rose tinted specs from?

If you've never been ripped off by a Thai means you don't live here & never have!

You appear to be a sleeper from another forum which is nameless.

Have a nice day in Fookin' Blighty.

[paulfromphuket]

Was fantastic as always, morning in the village with the kids, then patong for a serious water fight mad mad mad great.

IF you don't get it why are you here.???

[Crossy]

Was fantastic as always, morning in the village with the kids, then patong for a serious water fight mad mad mad great.

IF you don't get it why are you here.???

Yup ^^^ Spent yesterday with Wifeys family in Phachi. Load 9 Thais (ages ranging from 6 to 60) plus the token farang into a pickup along with two large water jars (refilled 3 times at assorted Wats) and trundle gently around the area being soaked and soaking others. Water only thrown at those who want to participate although motorcycles are fair game (stopped first then drenched). Not many things better than the main street of Ayutthaya packed with cute, wet, young (and not so young) crumpet All topped off by a dip in the local khlong (a bit muddy, but packed with fish so it must be reasonably clean).

One slight negative, the 'waterproof' sunscreen wasn't, so today I am the colour of a beetroot

[Martian]

The only 2 problems I have with Songkran is that people try to extend the festivities beyond the one day that is should be. Secondly, those people who do things like throw ice cold water and/or powder into your face are abusing the latitude that the spirit of the holiday provides and are committing assault in my opinion. These are the people (***holes) who have made Songkran what it is (pain in the arse) instead of what it should be....fun spirited water games. I stayed in my neighborhood in a city outside of Bangkok this year and it was a great experience. The next day the streets were clear and I could go to a restaurant for a nice meal without the threat of getting soaked in the process.

Edited April 15, 2009 by Martian

[bonobo]

I rather like Songkran.  What I didn't like today was having my camera and wallet lifted while in a mass crush of people. I realized it right away, but there was nothing I could do about it. If I had felt the hand in my pocket first, well, it would have been different, but it wasn't until I broke free of the crush and didn't have bodies shoving on me that I realized they were gone.

Of course, I can't believe I took my wallet (luckily it was my "travel" wallet which didn't have all my documents and cards), and then while in the crush, I didn't grab it and my camera, but I was more concerned with using my arms so as not to be accidently touching people inappropriately.

[LancasterBFC]

So are the cretins going to put their water pistols away after today are are the extra two days' holiday going to be an excuse for an extra two days of idiocy?

[WinnieTheKhwai]

I hate Songkran

My first Songkran was in Pattaya . followed by 8 days in hospital with a stomach bug from the dirty water that some people used , (out of the big fish bowls or from puddles)

LOL.. I incurred a fair share of mishaps and injuries over the years during Songkran but it's FAR to much fun to let those get me down..

That's like saying you hate sex because you got a dose of the clap once. No pain, no gain.

( That said of all the places I've seen Songkran, Pattaya was by far the worst. .. but still much better than no Songkran at all )

Edited April 15, 2009 by WinnieTheKhwai

[WinnieTheKhwai]

So are the cretins going to put their water pistols away after today are are the extra two days' holiday going to be an excuse for an extra two days of idiocy?

Would LOVE another two days..!! Realistically though I don't think it will happen, other than perhaps some small kids in the sois..

Don't be so grumpy, gramps.

[LancasterBFC]

So are the cretins going to put their water pistols away after today are are the extra two days' holiday going to be an excuse for an extra two days of idiocy?

Would LOVE another two days..!! Realistically though I don't think it will happen, other than perhaps some small kids in the sois..

Don't be so grumpy, gramps.

To be honest it's not too much to ask - small kids or big adults - to stick to soaking those who are playing rather than those who are busy, going to work, just not interested etc. You don't have to be lobotomised to live here buy, hey, it seems to help

[jayjayjayjay]

I love as much as my first 19 years ago.....