Rocket festival or “Boon Bang Fai” in Thai
is usually held in the second week
of May of each year, at the beginning
of the rainy season. The farmers
are ready to cultivate their paddy
fields. The festival is popularly
celebrated in the northeastern
provinces of Yasothorn
and Ubon Ratchathani. Sisaket also.
The celebration is an entreaty to the rain
god for plentiful rains during the coming
rice planting season.
The festival itself owes its beginning to
a legend that a rain god named Vassakan
was known for his fascination of being
worshipped with fire. To receive plentiful
rains for rice cultivation, the farmers
send the hope-made rockets
to the heaven where the god resided.
The festival has been carried out till these days.
Under the guidance of Buddhist
monks, it takes the villagers weeks
to make the rockets, launching
platforms and other decorations.
An average rocket is some nine
metres in length and
carries 20-25 kilogrammes of gunpowder
In the afternoon of the festival day,
rockets are carried in
the procession to the launching site.
Villagers dressed in colourful
traditional costumes attract
the eyes of the onlookers,
who line up along the procession route.
Before ignition of the rockets,
there will be more singing
and dancing to celebrate
the festival. The climax of the festival
is the ignition time. One by one
the rockets are fired from
the launching platforms.
Each liftoff is greeted by
cheers and noisy music.
The rocket that reaches
the greatest height is the winner
and the owner of this rocket
will dance and urge for rewards on
their way home while the owners
of the rockets, that exploded or failed
to fly, will be thrown into the mud.
The celebration is
a communual affair of the villagers
who come to share joy and happiness
together before heading
to the paddy fields where
hard work is waiting for them.
Rocket festival or “Boon Bang Fai” in Thaiis usually held in the second week of May of each year, at the beginningof the rainy season. The farmersare ready to cultivate their paddyfields. The festival is popularlycelebrated in the northeasternprovinces of Yasothorn and Ubon Ratchathani. Sisaket also. The celebration is an entreaty to the raingod for plentiful rains during the coming rice planting season.The festival itself owes its beginning to a legend that a rain god named Vassakanwas known for his fascination of beingworshipped with fire. To receive plentifulrains for rice cultivation, the farmers send the hope-made rocketsto the heaven where the god resided. The festival has been carried out till these days.Under the guidance of Buddhistmonks, it takes the villagers weeks to make the rockets, launching platforms and other decorations.An average rocket is some ninemetres in length andcarries 20-25 kilogrammes of gunpowderIn the afternoon of the festival day,rockets are carried in the procession to the launching site.Villagers dressed in colourful traditional costumes attractthe eyes of the onlookers, who line up along the procession route.Before ignition of the rockets, there will be more singing and dancing to celebrate the festival. The climax of the festival is the ignition time. One by one the rockets are fired fromthe launching platforms.Each liftoff is greeted by cheers and noisy music.The rocket that reachesthe greatest height is the winner and the owner of this rocketwill dance and urge for rewards on their way home while the owners of the rockets, that exploded or failedto fly, will be thrown into the mud. The celebration isa communual affair of the villagerswho come to share joy and happiness together before headingto the paddy fields wherehard work is waiting for them.
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