With only 3 weeks to go, the
city, led by Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon has begun plans for a
traditional Songkran festival.
Manoon Makpol
Songkran is only three weeks away and city officials are
laying plans for another attempt at a traditional holiday celebration to
compete with the annual water-fighting chaos.
Deputy Mayor Wattana Chantanawaranon laid out the general
schedule for the three-day celebration April 18-20 at Naklua’s Nan Po Public
Park.
The first day will start with an offering of alms to
monks at 7 a.m., followed by a Buddhist parade from Lan Po to Sawang Fah
Road to the Sawang Boriboon Foundation office and back again.
On the 19th - Pattaya’s annual “wan lai” or
water-throwing celebration - more sedate festivities will begin at
Chaimongkol Temple with a short parade in South Pattaya on Beach and Second
Roads.
While most people will be recovering from the 19th’s
insanity, officials will be back at Lan Po around mid-day on the 20th with
games, Muay Thai boxing exhibitions and oily-post climbing.
Wattana again implored people to celebrate Songkran with
reverence and respect for others and, especially, not use high-powered PVC
pipes as water guns. He admitted, however, that efforts to outright ban the
dangerous guns have been a failure.
