Songkran holidays will rely on number of new infections

[herfiehandbag]

For and anti Songkran? Calm down! It is only Taweesin Visanuyothin reminding us how important he, or perhaps the organisation he represents, is.

[Chassa]

34 minutes ago, madmitch said:

That;s the equivalent of moving Christmas to July.

It's a New Year holiday!

[phkauf]

2 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

For and anti Songkran? Calm down! It is only Taweesin Visanuyothin reminding us how important he, or perhaps the organisation he represents, is.

This is Taweesin using the old carrot and stick approach. If everybody behaves nicely, we can get Songkran. The government's approach of treating everyone like 5-yr old children is getting old really fast.

So if we don't behave, they will cancel Fake Songkran and extend the ban on bars another month. Maybe bring back an alcohol ban as well to teach us poor little children a lesson.

 

[Chassa]

The festival originated with locals collecting water that had been poured over Buddha statues for cleansing. This was then used to bless village elders and family members by trickling it over their shoulders. 

 

I'm sure this was adhered to in many villages and households at the correct date. It was in mine.

[Bender Rodriguez]

let's rename it to pandemic HOAX festival

[ubon farang]

15 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I can't see the point. Kids will be back at school, no tourists. Who exactly will be celebrating it?

They will be celebrating how many Thais can get killed on the roads The Thais will do anything for a day off What is the big deal if they dont have it this year? I think Thailand has enough holidays and most of the Thais did not even miss Songkran

[Phil McCaverty]

1 minute ago, Bender Rodriguez said:

let's rename it to pandemic HOAX festival

You been listening to Trump again? 555

[Grumpy one]

Time to get my booze supply topped up then lock the gates and turn off the phones.

We like to celebrate minus the blood sucking leaches that come out of the wood work if the gate is open

[Phil McCaverty]

6 minutes ago, Chassa said:

It's a New Year holiday!

And? Your point is? Its a religious festival with set dates, same as Christmas and Easter.

[Geoffggi]

Why not celebrate christmas in August while we are at it..........LOL

[Phil McCaverty]

1 minute ago, Grumpy one said:

Time to get my booze supply topped up then lock the gates and turn off the phones.

We like to celebrate minus the blood sucking leaches that come out of the wood work if the gate is open

Wow! You really are a grumpy one.

[Kerryd]

As I (clearly) said, the TRADITIONAL Songkran Celebration could STILL be held on the TRADITIONAL dates.
 

1 hour ago, Kerryd said:

They can still celebrate Songkran as a traditional, one day only, Buddhist holiday on the traditional date (or go back to the every changing date based on the moon). Just like they celebrate all those other Buddhist holidays throughout the year.

 

They could arrange the "week long water fight" to a later date. I seriously doubt the tourists would give a rat's cr@p if that date was in mid April or mid-July. I seriously doubt many Thais would care either.
They'd "play water" for a week pretty much any time of the year given the chance.

So no, it's not at all like "moving Christmas to July". It's more like "make Songkran more like the traditional celebration it used to be again and move the shenanigans to a later date". 
All they have to do is name the new date something catchy and people will buy into it. Any excuse for a party (which is really what the government is looking at I think).

[Phil McCaverty]

1 minute ago, Kerryd said:

I seriously doubt the tourists would give a rat's cr@p if that date was in mid April or mid-July. I seriously doubt many Thais would care either.

What tourists?

[newnative]

 So many people have already been on an enforced holiday from their jobs for 2 months.  Why in the world would they be thinking about holding MORE holidays???!!!   Let everyone get back to work without all the disruptions Songkran brings.  Just cancel it for this year.

[OJAS]

6 minutes ago, newnative said:

Just cancel it for this year.

Or merge it with the annual 31st December / 1st January New Year nonsense. 

[Creasy]

They would change the date  of Xmas to make a few baht

[Chassa]

17 minutes ago, Phil McCaverty said:

And? Your point is? Its a religious festival with set dates, same as Christmas and Easter.

Set dates - Easter?

[Phil McCaverty]

9 minutes ago, Chassa said:

Set dates - Easter?

Yes the date for Easter is set by a calculation involving the phases of the moon an announced by the Vatican. Quite easy to do it yoiurself.

 

"Easter falls on the first Sunday after the Full Moon date, based on mathematical calculations, that falls on or after March 21. If the Full Moon is on a Sunday, Easter is celebrated on the following Sunday."

 

https://www.timeanddate.com/calendar/determining-easter-date.html

[0815]

16 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I can't see the point. Kids will be back at school, no tourists. Who exactly will be celebrating it?

Thais? Tourists don't celebrate, it's the backpacker's "waterwar".

[Phil McCaverty]

Just now, 0815 said:

Thais? Tourists don't celebrate, it's the backpacker's "waterwar".

You've obviously never experienced songkran in Pattaya. Or Bangkok. Or Patong.

[Deli]

Watergun is ready, they just need to open the bars

[Kerryd]

The whole reason they are thinking of having it in July is that they are planning in allowing full international travel again starting 1 July and expect that there will be at least as many people (3 million plus) immediately arriving every month as there was previously, starting on that date.

Actually, many months ago, a Thai Minister (I think it was the Tourism Minister ?) declared that the virus would be "washed away" by Songkran and that the number of tourists arriving in the last half of the year would be DOUBLE the normal numbers !!
(He was actually claiming that they expected upwards of 6 million+ arrivals per month for the last half of the year so that the total number of arrivals for the year would be at least the same as the previous year.)
And yes, that was in the Thai (English language) news and posted on TV in months past.

And yes, what they say and what they expect are probably not based on any kind of reality at all. I don't think even the fortune tellers would go that far !

[DefaultName]

Great, just when the bars re-open, have Songkran to keep me home.

 

This is getting personal!  ????

[nahkit]

16 hours ago, Catkiwi said:

If you have a look at the actual tradition

I think you've answered your own question on why it should be denied, and that's "tradition". 

 

Songkran is supposed to celebrate the start of the Thai New Year, which occurs in April.

 

Just enjoy it twice as much next year!

[Phil McCaverty]

1 minute ago, Kerryd said:

they are planning in allowing full international travel again starting 1 July

Yes but with caveats that would debar any tourists from coming. What 2 week tourist would be willing to go into a government quarantine facility for 14 days on arrival?

[DefaultName]

3 minutes ago, Kerryd said:

The whole reason they are thinking of having it in July is that they are planning in allowing full international travel again starting 1 July and expect that there will be at least as many people (3 million plus) immediately arriving every month as there was previously, starting on that date.

Actually, many months ago, a Thai Minister (I think it was the Tourism Minister ?) declared that the virus would be "washed away" by Songkran and that the number of tourists arriving in the last half of the year would be DOUBLE the normal numbers !!
(He was actually claiming that they expected upwards of 6 million+ arrivals per month for the last half of the year so that the total number of arrivals for the year would be at least the same as the previous year.)
And yes, that was in the Thai (English language) news and posted on TV in months past.

And yes, what they say and what they expect are probably not based on any kind of reality at all. I don't think even the fortune tellers would go that far !

They never seem to realise that most international travellers can't just say "oh good, xxx is on next week, I'll go".  People have to arrange time off of work, book flights, hotels etc. and next week/month just isn't possible for most.

 

Before I retired, I had conversations like "Can I have next month off", "no, sorry, too many are already booked off", "OK, how about 1 month, 11 months from now", "that's too early, you have to give others a chance to book".  My boss was a fetus yuppie and an idiot, unfortunately, he'll do well.

[Moo 2]

What a smart idea! and the World should move New Year to June, warmer weather, trees are blossoming

and snow has melted. Let's copy Thailand!  

[bkk6060]

Why?

Can wait till next April to throw water?

I know it is an important holiday, but actually seems childish and immature/careless for authorities to even consider it happening this year.

 

[kidneyw]

Thought there was a water shortage.

[rudi49jr]

17 hours ago, Phil McCaverty said:

I can't see the point. Kids will be back at school, no tourists. Who exactly will be celebrating it?

Wasn’t this originally a Thai celebration? Nothing to do with millions of crazy tourists getting drunk and high. Maybe it can go back to that original idea of Thai celebrating Songkran themselves, in quite a modest way.