New to Thailand and never experienced Songkran before? Songkran is the Thai new year and the typical celebration consists of virtually everyone in the country dumping icy buckets of water on one another. This water may come from a private home’s water system, from a river or ocean. So much water is splashed that it comes from every source possible!
Here our our top tips on surviving your very first Songkran holiday in Thailand:
1. Don’t Wear White
It’s not funny to accidentally be showing way too much skin, it’s just offensive and you will end up looking like a foreigner who is tainting their favorite holiday with inappropriate behavior.
2. Keep electronics safe in plastic
You will honestly be soaked to the bone, which means that everything that is not a part of your skeletal system will get very, very wet. Be smart about what you take outside with you. Take only the essentials and if you must take electronic equipment, purchase some protective plastic!
3. Spit often
That’s right. You should immediately spit any water that gets in your mouth as the water can come from any source… which includes dirty river water. Just in case, get that h2O out of your system as soon as possible to avoid water poisoning.
4. Watch out for powder
The tradition behind the water-throwing is to cool everyone off during the hottest time of the year. Thai’s have a special white cooling powder that they will put on their faces whenever it gets hot, but during Songkran they might throw the powder around. And when this happens, it can get into your eyes and mouth which can really be uncomfortable to say the least! Keep alert during the outdoor celebrations and duck if you see a cloud of white coming at you.
5. Eat meals indoors
Anyone outside is fair game, regardless of what they are doing or who they are, including anyone eating outdoors. Your food will soon be just as wet as you are if you eat outside, so best to take a towel with you into a restaurant and sit on that while you dine dry.
6. Don’t ride motorcycles
Songkran makes for an extremely dangerous setting for motorcyclists and motorcycle passengers. The streets are wet and not only are there many visual distractions but physical as well. Imagine your motorcycle taxi driver getting splashed in the face with a big bucket of water, losing concentration for a second and then slipping on a huge puddle of river water from the celebrations. Best to walk or take a Songtheaw this week.
