According to the Thaiger website, the annual water splashing activities would be halted this year for Songkran 2021 (view source).
The water splashing festival as per above is not allowed this year
However the people can still perform religious activities such as pouring water over Buddha statues:
Pouring water over Buddha statues is allowed for Songkran.
This means that this year it would be a quiet time similar to last year. No doubt, this decision is another hard blow for popular tourist destinations where these festivals are being held. However, you can see from the first picture that in a typical Songkran water splashing festival, everyone gets wet either by a water gun or having water splashed at them.
This for sure would wet the masks that the people are wearing. All it takes is for a few people who are Covid19 positive (but they may not be aware as they may be asymptomatic) to spread into a huge cluster. No matter what rules or guidelines are given, people who are busy enjoying themselves would forget about social distancing…. after all you need to really go near someone in order to effectively shoot someone with a water gun or splash them with a pail of water.
Stocking up on food and essential items during Songkran Festival
There would be a 3 day public holiday (13 to 15 April 2021). Many businesses would be closed for Songkran. Your usual food store or market may not be opened for business- do confirm with them . Usually many would go to Makro, Lotus or BigC to do their shopping for the festival.
If you are in Thailand, please remember to stock up on essential food that you would need before the festival. One year, we had to go without sliced bread because all deliveries were off and stocks ran out at literally all the 7 Eleven stores near our place.
Festive celebrations have been canceled not only in Thailand but worldwide. For me, festive celebrations had always been a time for me to destress, unwind and work on my goals or blogs. I have written about my experience in another blog of how I have chosen to spend festive seasons quietly almost all my adult life and in later years were used to work on personal projects and self development. Hence, if you have personal projects or hobbies that you have been putting off due to busy schedule, why not harness this quiet time to begin working on them?
Don’t let the ban on fun activities to get you down. Most important is for us to stay safe and healthy.