The six-week countdown for the water-soaked free-for-all known as Songkran in Pattaya began last month with a planning meeting for the annual “wan lai” finale.
Education Department chief Wutipon Charoenpon presided over the Feb. 21 meeting with bureaucrats, police and school directors.
As usual, the stated goal of the government-organized Songkran activities to focus on the cultural heritage of the Thai New Year holiday, even though such ambitions always get drowned in buckets of ice water.
Wan lai will be held on April 18 in Naklua and the following day in Pattaya. Religious events begin in the morning in Naklua and Chaimongkol Temple in Pattaya.
Activities will include religious prayers, the lustral water-pouring, a presentation ceremony of honor, water blessings for the elderly, cultural performances, and decorative float parades.
The meeting covered such topics as which senior citizens would represent their communities, preparation of school cultural performances and traffic.
