Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha was voted as the most favored person with whom Songkran revelers want to pour water on his hands to celebrate the water splashing festival, according to an opinion poll jointly undertaken by the Ministry of Culture and Suan Dusit Poll of Suan Dusit University.
Besides the prime minister, the other top four that most revelers want to engage in water-pouring ritual are the two lead characters of Love Destiny hit drama series, Thanawat “Pope” Wattanaphuti and Ms Ranee “Bella” Kampen, provincial governors and their respectable elderly relatives.
Altogether 3,075 people from across the country were interviewed.
Asked about the Songkran-related activities that should be preserved, the poll shows 74.87 percent of the respondents voted for merit making and alms offering; 64.28 percent voted for pouring water on Buddha statues and visit to temples to build sand chedi; 61.08 percent voted for water splashing in a polite fashion; 36.35 percent voted for dressing up in Thai traditional costumes or native costumes; and 29.9 percent voted for a new of clothing to be worn to pay respect to the elderly.
The places that most revelers want to be there to splash water are the revelers’ hometowns followed by Bangkok’s Khao Sarn Road, Silom Road, Siam Square, Siam Paragon, Wat Pathumwanaramratchavoraviharn, Central Word shopping mall, King Power duty-free complex, Visutkasat Road, Santichaiprakarn park, Lumpini park, Asiatic shopping district; Chiang Mai, seaside resort towns such as Pattaya, Bang Saen, Hua Hin, Cha-am and Ayutthaya.
Asked what came to their minds first when referring to Songkran, 75.79 percent mentioned water splashing; 64.44 percent mentioned pouring water on hands of the elderly; 54.39 percent mentioned traditional New Year; 46.98 percent said long holidays and 39.35 percent said it was their trip back homes.
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