Celebrate with bubbles! Giant water battles break out across south east Asia as young and old cheer in the Buddhist new year during three-day party
- Once calm festival – known as Songkran – traditionally sees Thais sprinkling water over figures of Buddha
- Now far rowdier celebrations sees locals and foreigners arming themselves with water pistols for water fights
- In Myanmar, where festival is called Thingyan, children blow bubbles and play with soap suds at street parties
Buddhists across south east Asia brought in the new year with a splash today as they took to the streets for water fights as part of a three-day celebration.
The once calm festival – known as Songkran in Thailand – traditionally sees people paying respects to elders and sprinkling water over figures of Buddha at local temples.
But now the celebration has a far rowdier side, with tens of thousands of ravers from across Asia expected to dance into the night under massive water cannons and spectacular pyrotechnics as Bangkok’s S2O Songkran festival gets underway.
Thais and foreigners sporting floral shirts armed themselves with colourful water pistols and protective goggles today, engaging in water fights that bring entire streets to a standstill.
Neighbouring Laos and Myanmar celebrate the same festival with young and old throwing buckets of water over each other as music thuds from loudspeakers.
In Yangon, where the festival is known as Thingyan, children blow bubbles and play with soap suds at street foam parties, while women dressed in traditional costumes perform dances near the famed Sule Pagoda.
Buddhists across south east Asia brought in the new year with a splash today as they took to the streets for water fights as part of a three-day celebration. Pictured: a woman covered in soap suds in Yangon, Myanmar
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Authorities had issued warnings beforehand on modesty, saying that nudity and provocative clothing will be prohibited. There are no such restrictions however on summary drenchings. Pictured: children using water guns in Bangkok
Neighbouring Laos and Myanmar celebrate the same festival with young and old throwing buckets of water over each other as music thuds from loudspeakers. Pictured: a girl playing with soap suds in Yangon
Pictured: a reveller pours water over two women during celebrations for the Buddhist New Year in Yangon
Thais and foreigners armed themselves with colourful water pistols and protective goggles today, engaging in water fights that bring entire streets to a standstill. Pictured: a little girl posing with two water guns in Bangkok
This child was covered in soap suds from head to toe during the celebrations, which last three days, in Yangon
No man, woman, or child is safe from being covered in water during the festival, as proven by this boy pouring water over a passing motorbike
Pictured: a boy chucks a bucket at passengers in a vehicle as he enjoys celebrations for the Buddhist New Year in Bangkok
The once calm festival – known as Songkran – traditionally sees people paying respects to elders and sprinkling water over figures of Buddha at local temples
This woman shielded herself from a spray of water as she took a picture of two revellers when a rainbow appeared in Bangkok
In Yangon, where the festival is known as Thingyan, children blow bubbles and play with soap suds at street foam parties
Women dressed in traditional costumes perform dances near the famed Sule Pagoda in Yangon during the Buddhist New Year celebrations
These two children looked like they were having the time of their lives as a woman poured a bowl of cold water over them
As the sun sets, tens of thousands of ravers from across Asia are expected to dance into Saturday night under massive water cannons and spectacular pyrotechnics, as Bangkok’s S2O Songkran festival gets underway. Pictured: children playing in Yangon
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