As people prepare to celebrate Songkran, this year's festival sees a number of stricter road safety rules and regulations -- from the Section 44 edict requiring all car passengers to buckle up to the ban of water-throwing from the back of pickups along major roads and highways. But the spirit of Songkran has always been high -- and wild. Here we take a look at photos from the Bangkok Post's archives to see how Songkran revellers enjoyed the water war in the past with or without harsh traffic rules enforced.

This pickup is carrying over 10 passengers as they get 'ambushed' in Bangkok's Huay Kwang area in 1987.

You may be safe from water inside a car, but the lovely paintwork isn't safe from din sor pong, or talc paste. This was at Wat Phra Sri Mahathat in Bangkok's Bang Khen district.