May 8, 2009toMay 10, 2009

 

Yasothon Boon Bangfai Parade
Yasothon Boon Bangfai Parade
The northeastern region of Thailand is impacted by drought and rain shortage every Summer season – March to May.  Most impacted are Thai farmers who have to rely on the weather for the success of their harvests. Many Thais hold onto an ancient belief in animism, where natural phenomenon such as weather event will have a spiritual existence.  Back into history, this belief has resulted in ceremonial rocket launching as a common practice throughout the region and also in the neighboring country, Laos.

Today there is an annual event in Northeast Thailand that continues in this tradition; where people here fire off hundreds of homemade rockets into the sky to appease the heavenly residents in a bid to ask for rainfall and fertility. This ceremony has made its way into the annual civic festival of Yasothorn province, which this year will be held during 8-10 May at the Muang District.

Before the beginning of the rainy season, groups of villagers will gather and produce thousands of rockets made of either bamboo or plastic pipe filled with black powder.  Rockets are then placed on ceremonially-adorned vehicles to join in a parade that circles the town before moving to the launch base. There is a competition of how high each rocket can reach, perhaps rooted in the belief that the higher the rocket can go, the more satisfied the god of rain will become. The rockets can be up to 10 meters in length and larger rockets are able to soar over one kilometer from the ground.

Yasothorn Bangfai Rocket
Yasothorn Bangfai Rocket

As soon as the rocket is launched, the joyful clamor of the crowd will burst forth, followed with the deafening boom and bang of the missiles. If any rocket fails to launch there may be laughter of the crowds and people will be in a general celebratory mood. If the rockets are not noisy enough, the already loud and sometimes tipsy crowd are also entertained with folk songs with local humor.

The three fun-filled days of the Boon Bangfai Rocket Festival is still about worship of the god of fertility to an extent. These days, however, the event is more to mark the beginning of planting season and there is little doubt the festive events do their part to take the edge off of the hardship of farming Thailand’s northeastern plateau. Yasothon province is rather quiet and is a less-traveled destination (not accessible by direct flight). The festivities are a perfect alternative for those that prefer to veer from the beaten path and to get to Yasothon you may drive from Bangkok or first fly into Ubon Ratchathani airport, which is only 98 kilometers from Yasothon.




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