Thai transgender actress and model Treechada Petcharat, who is also referred to as Poyd, is under fire after a video emerged of her throwing firecrackers into a crowd on the street during a festival.
Poyd can be seen lighting a bulk of firecrackers carefully in the Instagram clip, which has been viewed over 849,000 times as of the time of writing.
“This is our tradition to throw the firecrackers to the parade, who have spirit of Chinese god and for good luck,” the model wrote in the caption.
She then threw the firecrackers in the air after lighting it up.
Instead of throwing it onto the ground, Poyd threw the large bulk on top of unsuspecting crowd’s head, which took them by surprise.
The camera then pans to the right, showing the 32-year-old model smiling and laughing after throwing the firecrackers on top of them.
Many of her followers expressed concern after seeing the video that was shared in her Instagram on Sunday, October 18, according to AsiaOne.
While many called her out for her actions, some other followers came to her defense and stated that what she did was part of a tradition for Thai-Chinese culture and part of the celebration for the ritual-heavy Vegetarian festival.
It is currently being celebrated in many parts of the country, but the peak of festivities occur in Phuket, Thailand, as this area contains a high population of Thai-Chinese people.
Those who participate in the tradition walk down the road while wearing a white t-shirt as people throw firecrackers at them. Devotees believe the white shirt will protect them from the dangers of these firecrackers as well as bring them good luck.
While everyone was concerned about the participants’ safety, some pointed out that the firecrackers used during the festival are weaker compared to the usual firecrackers that are being used in other gatherings, making them moderately safer.
Images screenshot via Instagram / poydtreechada
