Painted elephants spray tourists with water to banish bad luck

Colourfully painted elephants in the ancient Thai capital of Ayutthaya yesterday sprayed people with water in a water fight that has become tradition to mark the country’s New Year festivities.“It’s indescribable, it’s amazing. You come out, you get in the tuk-tuk and you start having a water fight with the elephants,” said David Gray, a British tourist sporting a bright Hawaiian shirt.Ayutthaya, a Unesco World Heritage city, is home to one of the country’s most popular elephant camps.This year, Thailand celebrates the annual water festival, called Songkran, from tomorrow to April 15, to mark the traditional New Year.The annual Songkran festival is often referred to as the world’s biggest water fight — a time when revellers splash water on each other under the scorching sun.Everyone is fair game and tourists flock to join in the fun along with the locals.Traditional Thais believe water washes away bad luck and helps usher in prosperity.Apart from the big splash, the New Year is also a time for family gatherings, praying, and paying respects to ancestors and dead relatives.