Today is a bank holiday in Thailand. Millions of Thais are homeward bound to celebrate their adaptation of the Hindu celebration of 'Holi'. Basically it's Happy New Year for the Thai calendar and meant to be on the vernal equinox, however Thai astrologers were better partyers than mathematicians and the day of Sankranta in Sanskrit has wandered the months of March and April, until being fixed on April 13-15 in the modern era.
Foreign residents of Thailand are well-accustomed to the traditional rites attached to the festival. The spraying of water and homage to the elderly, but these ancient customs have given way to catastrophic carnage as drunken Thais crash cars, pick-ups,and motorcycles into other vehicles, telephone poles, ditches, and people. The death toll nears a thousand every Songkran with thousands more seriously injured by these accidents.
In actuality the disturbances in Bangkok have kept down the mayhem this year and even with the bloodshed between the red shirts and army the death toll was lower than 2009. Today is the big test.
Will Chaos rule over revolution?
Chaos always wins in the end.
Sawat-dee Pii Mai.
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