Imagine an entire country having a water tossing and paste on your face party from about 11 in the morning until way after the sun goes down! That is what happened on the 19th, which is the closing day of the New Year's Song Kran Celebration. The actual ceremony is very subdued with a gentle cleansing of hands and putting power paste on the face done by a family member or a Buddhist monk. However, when that is over, the craziness begins! Almost everybody plays, young and old, and even the police! You make new friends and see old ones as well. These are some pictures I took here in Pattaya...while I was still able to move...few too many drinks! This is Dou and his wife whom I had not seen since last year. You can see that they are already in "gear!" And some of their friends. This little guy decided to take it easy in a small pool while others played. People in pick-up trucks, motorbikes and foot just splashing around. On a lot of trucks there are 50 gallon drums just full of water. Others have buckets or water guns. There is non stop traffic and it goes on all day! Any attire is accepted and fun! Somebody decided I needed to wear a wig! This little girl was having a lot of fun and she was pretty accurate! It was a long but happy day and I am sure I will be back on the streets for next years celebration!
Richard, you look like your having the time of your life, just like like the rest of party goers. I really enjoyed seeing a piece of your world. Your festival sounds a bit like Mardi Grau in New Orleans, Louisiana, and Galveston, Texas. The parties in Louisana and Texas go on for days. We don't throw water, but we do throw strings of colorful beads. But, I can see that your's and our party times have a lot of drinking going on. What other kinds of holidays do you get to share in?
Looks like a lot of fun to me. You really know how to party. I wish we did more things like this in the states. It's seems to be a great way to get to know each other, let go of a lot of stress and just be "silly" for a little while. Sometimes, we just need to act like kids and forget that we're grown ups!
@Ina I. Wonder @Mal Campbell Happy you enjoyed the post! We have many other holidays but this is the most spectacular. The other big one is Loy Krathong which comes soon after the rainy season. People make (or in my case, buy) beautiful floating baskets from banana leafs and flowers and set them to sail in the ocean or lake, usually with a candle in them. There are also hundreds - perhaps thousands of floating kites with candles that are set to fly. When the vehicle is set away, it takes all the problems with it and thus you have a new start for a year!