Songkran

Songkran is the Thai new year. It is celebrated over 3 days from the 13th-15th April (officially). It is celebrated by splashing water over other people for luck and to wash away bad things (I think). But in Chiang Mai it takes on a bigger role. Here and other areas with big tourist populations it turns into a giant waterfight. In Chiang Mai it kicked off on the 12th, the day I arrived and there were big barrels of water at almost every shop, resteraunt and bar for revellers to dip into. They would usually have a hose as well to keep the supply up. On top of this you have a few stages in the main areas which blare out music and provide entertainment for the days. Then there are the innumerable food sellers alongside stalls with every type of watergun imaginable. My weapon of choice was the humble bucket on a string. This allowed me to throw large quantities in one go and refill quickly, from the moat if I liked (hence the string). Now add to this mix a few thousand people, thai and farang alike and you get mayhem, absolute mayhem. For four days the streets turned into rivers and nothing stayed dry. People were running around spraying anything they could see. There was no such thing as mercy, if you were on the street then you were fair game. From small kids to older people everyone got involved. I lost count of how many kids ran up behind me with a little bucket of cold water, poured it down my back and ran away laughing! There were also motorbikes, pickups, songthaews and tuk-tuks travelling the waterfilled streets. All were well aware of the consequences and everyone just laughed so it was all good fun. Most of these vehicles had armed passengers anyway, especially the pickups which usually had a family on the back surrounding a barrel and drowning and being drowned in kind. Everyone is just having a blast, dripping wet and firing water left, right and centre. A favourite pastime of mine turned out to be walking up behind a slow moving songthaew and firing a bucket of water at the trapped passengers inside, and I wasnt the only one! Then there was the large blocks of ice that people had in their barrels. Great when you are throwing it but not so great when its coming your way. This was how the days panned out but when the sun went down most people went back to their places, showered and changed and went out. It has to be one of the best festivals out there and would be a great thing to have back home. I've got some great memories of the last week such as: A small kid on a truck, totally soaked, with a giant grin on his face as he fires ice cold water at passersby; a songthaew full of passengers that slows down as it approaches a line of people with buckets so that they can fling it at the passengers trapped within; of a girl who for some reason chose to wear white shorts and a white top to a waterfight getting absolutely doused by every guy on the street and of the dance groups who as soon as they came on stage were subjected to a firing squad of waterguns and buckets of water but got on with their routine regardless. There were so many hilarious and amazing moments I cant put them all down and it was difficult to get pictures as my camera isnt waterproof. All in all it was the best thing ive done in ages and will try to come back for it again. If you go to Thailand then Songkran in Chiang Mai is an unmissable event.