Reaching for the sky
At least that's what the rockets of Yasothon's Bung Fai Festival aim to do - some fall a bit short
When rural folk in Thailand’s northeast want rain for their land, they leave the Rain God a message. And a loud, high and terrifying message it is too, with some 100 hand-made rockets, or “bang fai”, sent flying skywards over the rice paddies.
With Songkran now done and dusted, Yasothon, 600 kilometres northeast of Bangkok, is getting ready to launch its trademark rockets into the sky from May 7 to 13.
The rockets, the highlights of the annual Bung Fai Festival, mean no harm to Laos, Cambodia or even to neighbouring villages, but are aimed at the heavens and convey a very important message to the gods: “Let the rain pour down on our fields”.
Like many festivals in Thailand, Bung Fai “literally rockets of fire” would not be complete without plenty of fun and crazy activities. Drawing upwards of 50,000 spectators, the event features a rocket competition, crazy mud dances and plenty of eating and drinking.
Last year the Korean, Vietnamese, Japanese and Lao teams did well trying to outdo the local “rocket science” during the international rocket competition. The locals of Yasothon are now up for the new challenge from the international teams.
The first few days, the locals will leave their routine work behind, and head to the local temples for rocket making, which involves a lot with gunpowder.
Out on the empty Isaan plains, Yasothon folk don’t need quantum physics to make their rockets fly into the blue sky. Led by local monks, who seem to have the formula, these rural engineers put the gunpowder inside a long plastic pipe. The secret lies in how to make the rocket fly high – instead of going backward.
Once the rockets are done, they’re loaded on to floats. Pulled by handsome bulls, the procession marches around the town allowing visitors to admire the gigantic missiles up close. In between the procession of floats, are groups of white-powdered men wearing frog masks and doing a weird dance.
The whole atmosphere is an unfakeable indicator of the style and emotion of Isaan.
On launch day, Sunday, May 13, thousands of people will converge in Yasothon’s civic park. Projectiles will be shooting off everywhere – big ones every half hour, small ones all the time. Groups of monks sit under the trees while families wander past vendors selling beer, liquor, roasted chicken, wooden phalluses and balloons.
The crowd thickens where the giant rocket launchers stand at the far end of the park. The respectable-sized rockets are made of blue PVC drainage pipe and packed with explosives.
The higher the rockets go, say the locals, the more rain will come. The higher the rockets go, say the gamblers, the more they’ll win on their wagers. But not every rocket will fly. If yours didn’t go anywhere, your team could expect an embarrassing treat – dancing in the mud until you look like walking cookies.
There is plenty of shouting.
To bring forth good rains for wealth and for survival, the rockets must soar. Most do, but some don’t – generally those that are too big, too powerful and way too ambitious.
If you go
The Rocket Festival takes place in Yasothon from May 7 to 13. The hotels are usually fully booked. If you drive, take a tent, you can pitch it in the temple grounds. Mukdahan province, a short drive from Yasothon, is your best bet for a comfy bed.
