G'day im heading to se asia for the 2nd time. i remember seeing an article on the telly about a rocket festival, and i think it was in thailand where for a week everyone goes nuts because all the "sins" will be washed away by the first rains... men dress as women, run a muck and drink 24/7 and then all sins are washed away by the begining of the first monsoon rains, aparently sparked off by launching massive home made rockets which are as big as anti aircraft missiles....i cant remember if it was in thailand or when why or how, does it ring a bell for anyone cause i wanna be there when it all goes down.....please let me know...im there from early march until whenever i run out of money...please reply to jenandjaykeys@hotmail.com
cheers jason
rocket festival
Re: rocket festival
Hi Jason,
Well you might be pleased to know that there is a 'Rocket Festival' or 'Boon Bang Fai' held in Thailand annually. Usually the second week in May. This year it is scheduled for the 10th - 12th May. So me thinks you will certainly be there for it...unless you spend all your money very quickly!
The Venue: Phya Thaen Park in the North-eastern province of Yasothon
I can not say I know too much about the 24 hour partying and cross dressing, though neither are uncommon in Thailand, regardless of the time of year!
Below I have written some of the history and meaning behind it:
The 'Bun Bang Fai,' is an ancient local festival that has been carried out continuously 'till modern times. It is popularly celebrated in Yasothon, a province in Thailand's northeast.
In Thailand, the month of May is the beginning of the rainy season and farmers are ready to begin planting their rice fields. The festival is associated with traditional beliefs in the supernatural powers that help promote the production of rice crops for the coming planting season.
The legend has it that once there was a rain god named Vassakan who loved to be worshipped with fire. The townspeople created a rocket or 'Bang Fai' to send to heaven, where the god resided. They believed that the god would hear their entreaties and bless them with plentiful rain for rice cultivation. So the celebration is entirely to the god of rain.
Like several other Thai festivals, Buddhist monks would be in attendance for the ceremony. The rockets, launch platforms and other decorations for this event are prepared for several weeks before the actual event.
An average rocket is some nine metres in length and carries 20-25 kilograms of gunpowder!!
Originally the rockets were made out of natural materials, but these days, they are slightly more sophisticated. In order to make the rocket festival much more fun, various competitions for the biggest and highest flying rocket are held, all conducted with the undying Thai spirit of 'sanook'.
On the festival day, rockets are paraded to the launch site. Villagers dress in colourful traditional costumes, playing, teasing and dancing, to accompany the procession.
The climax of the festival is the launch time. The rockets are fired from their launch platforms one by one. Noisy folk music and cheers can be heard for each lift-off. The rocket that reaches the greatest height is declared the winner. The owner of this rocket dances and pushes for rewards from the crowds.
The owners of rockets that exploded or failed to fly are thrown in the mud!!
Whether or not their wishes are granted as they believe, the festival helps strengthen and promote harmony among the villagers, which will be needed when the new crop season begins.
If you are lucky enough to still be in Thailand for the first couple weeks of April then you will certainly have a laugh. The Sonkran Water Festival - one of the larges festivals in Thailand, is a water-throwing funfest, in which anyone and everyone gets thoroughly drenched!..Again this is to signify the rainy season.
Have a read of the previous post on the forums for more information on this...Not to be missed I assure you!
Cheers
Online Consultant [/b]
[b]Ru Lea
[This message has been edited by Ru (edited February 14, 2002).]