Naga Fireball Festival
The Naga Fireball Festival is the celebration of an ancient mysterious phenomenon that occurs annually on two particular nights on the Mekong River. On the nights before and after the last day of the Buddhist Lenten season, mysterious reddish, glowing balls rise out of the 250 km long Mekong River that separates Northern Thailand from Laos. These balls vary both in size and in number-from small sparkles to the size of basketballs and from a few tens to more than a thousand per night.
Locals attribute this annual occurrence to a waterborne serpent ‘the Naga’ that lives under the river in a kingdom called “Muang Badan”, watching over the people living in the Mekong basin. Once a year this mythical seven headed King of Serpents spits fireballs into the sky resulting in the Mekong lights or “bung fai paya nak” as called by the locals. Scientists however, have a couple of theories for the non-believers. One theory suggests that methane gas trapped under the riverbed finds just the right conditions around this particular time of year to release and get spontaneously ignited upon surfacing, while another theory suggests plasma physics which explains combustion when surface electricity is discharged into a solution.
Whatever the reason might be, witnessing the fireballs rise out of the river is truly a remarkable sight. The best place to watch this occurrence is in the town of Nong Khai in Northeastern Thailand. You could also take a bus further out to Phon Phisai or Rattanawapi, where fireball sightings have been recorded every year. Be sure to also join in the local temple festivities and sample the delicious food items that are sold in the local food stalls. The river is also lit up with a number of floating lanterns, which give it an ethereal glow and provide for some great photo ops.
The Naga Fireball festival is something that should be experienced at least once in a lifetime. Come and witness a miracle of light!