Thais mark Songkran with virtual water-splashing
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Hathai Techakitteranun, Hathai Techakitteranun Thailand Correspondent In Bangkok
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This week is usually the time of the year when busy Bangkok streets are almost deserted as those working in the Thai capital return to their home towns to visit their families, while others go on holiday.
There have been fewer cars and people on the street this year too, but for an entirely different reason.
For the first time, festivities for Thailand's traditional new year, dubbed Songkran - which is celebrated from April 13 to 15 with its water-splashing amid the scorching summer heat and festivities such as beauty pageants - have been cancelled amid the coronavirus outbreak that has seen 2,613 cases and 41 deaths as of yesterday.
As the hashtag #Divine Songkran2020 trended on Thailand's Twitter on Monday with over 200,000 tweets, Thais have turned to virtual water-splashing.
They are filming themselves sprinkling water from a bowl with Songkran music in the background, and posting old photos and videos of themselves and their pop idols getting splashed in past Songkrans.
Paying respects to Buddhist monks and older relatives by pouring scented water into their hands is another big part of the celebrations. This year, the culture ministry has urged people to bathe Buddha statues at home and observe social distancing measures when paying respects to their elders.
The government has promised to declare substitute public holidays later this year for Songkran, which is a three-day public holiday.
