Yasothon’s rocket festival thrills tourists and appeals to gods for rain

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Rocket festival thrills tourists and appeals to gods for rain

By The Nation

 

People watch as participants launch homemade rockets at the “Bun Bang Fai” festival in Yasothon yesterday. The annual rocket festival celebrated in Thailand’s Isaan region aims to prod the gods to unleash rain ahead of the rice-farming season. AFP

 

THE NORTHEASTERN province of Yasothon’s “Bun Bang Fai” annual festival has wowed Thai and foreign tourists with nearly 100 beautifully-decorated traditional rockets, to be lit as an offering to the gods for rain along with a contest for cash prizes worth more than Bt60,000 being held at Phaya Thaen Park in Muang district.

 

Yasothon governor Nikorn Suksai presided over the festival’s official opening on Saturday by lighting the first rocket, which asks for predictable rainfall. The festival began on May 9 and ran through May 13.

 

Local communities submitted to the contest 22 Bang Fai Saen (the category featuring the largest traditional pipe-made rockets containing more than 120 kilograms of gunpowder) and 65 fancy Bang Fai rockets, while other Bang Fai rockets from Japan, Laos, Vietnam and South Korea also joined in for the special display. 

 

Residents from Chichibu, for 24 years Yasothon’s sister city in Japan’s Saitama Prefecture, participated in the important festival as they have done in past years.

 

The festival’s events over the first three days included the display of rockets and a contest among cheering squads on Wednesday, a parade and contest featuring beautiful rockets on Thursday, and a rocket launching contest in search of the rocket that could stay aloft for the longest time.

 

The “Bun Bang Fai” annual festivals are organised during this period in north-eastern provinces including Yasothon, Si Sa Ket, Nakhon Ratchasima, Kalasin, Roi Et, Nong Khai, and Udon Thani as well as in the neighbouring country of Laos. It is based on a folktale about Phraya Thaen who oversees rain-making and is fond of fire - hence the building of "fire rockets" to please him.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30345281

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-05-14

[Enoon]

 

Best thing in Thailand.......long may it continue.

 

 

[Jane Dough]

5 hours ago, Enoon said:

 

Best thing in Thailand.......long may it continue.

 

 

Completely agree. One of the most incredible festivals held anywhere in the world. If you haven't been you can hardly say you have been to Thailand!

[sammieuk1]

Could well be a struggle Gods v Dams to come.

[KhunBENQ]

As you can expect there is a couple of amateur videos from yesterday on youtube.

This one is of fairly good technical quality and showing a few launches:

 

[KhunBENQ]

An epic failure, exploding shortly after lift off:

(only worth watching from 0:55 min on)

 

 

[Krataiboy]

 

Posted 8 hours ago

Worries arise over brimming dams even before start of rainy season

 

                                                                                                                   

Posted 7 hours ago

Rocket festival thrills tourists and appeals to gods for rain

 

Let's just hope the gods (as usual) turn a deaf ear! 

 

 

 

 

[zyphodb]

Heres a few pics from it.....

[Katia]

Awesome pics and video... thank you!  I really wanted to go, but by the time I realized it was so close (for some reason I was thinking it was in June), it was too late to find a place to stay.