Visitor Numbers Rocket For Bung Fai Festival

[george]

Visitor numbers rocket for Bung Fai festival

YASOTHON: -- Tens of thousands of tourists flocked to the north-eastern province of Yasothon today to witness the final day of this year’s Bung Fai rocket festival, with a special Japanese rocket proving one of the highlight’s of the event.

The people of Yasothon believe that the fate of the ‘Bung Fai Saen’ rocket, which contains a massive Bt120kg of explosives, will determine the weather for the next season. If the rocket shoots up high into the air, the rains will come and the crops wil be abundant.

Today over 30,000 Thais and foreigners watched as the rocket soared into the air for a record 170 seconds before falling to earth.

But it was not only traditional Thai rockets which made this year’s festival so special. From the Japanese city of Yoshida, a team of 50 local government officials had come with three parachute rockets, which drew further exclamations of wonder from the crowds.

Fourteen rockets in all competed in the ‘Bung Fai Saen category’, vying for a trophy from His Royal Highness the Crown Prince and a cash bonus of Bt60,000.

--TNA 2005-05-15

[bannork]

Visitor numbers rocket for Bung Fai festival 

YASOTHON: -- Tens of thousands of tourists flocked to the north-eastern province of Yasothon today to witness the final day of this year’s Bung Fai rocket festival, with a special Japanese rocket proving one of the highlight’s of the event.

The people of Yasothon believe that the fate of the ‘Bung Fai Saen’ rocket, which contains a massive Bt120kg of explosives, will determine the weather for the next season. If the rocket shoots up high into the air, the rains will come and the crops wil be abundant.

Today over 30,000 Thais and foreigners watched as the rocket soared into the air for a record 170 seconds before falling to earth.

But it was not only traditional Thai rockets which made this year’s festival so special. From the Japanese city of Yoshida, a team of 50 local government officials had come with three parachute rockets, which drew further exclamations of wonder from the crowds.

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Issan at its best, like its morlam, passionate, spectacular and possibly downright dangerous. I remember a few years ago when one of the rockets decided to 'soar' horizontally instead of vertically, and another plunged straight down towards the admiring drunken spectators; the parting of the Red Sea had nothing on the immediate division and scattering of the hordes.

Girls dancing whilst farmers with failed rockets were being rolled in the mud. Glastonbury had nothing on this!

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Edited May 15, 2005 by bannork