Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BUN BANG FAI
Also known as the rocket festival, this
rain-makingritual
predates Buddhism in Laos, and
is a madcap combination of fireworks and firewater. In May, crude
rockets
are fashioned
from stout bamboo poles stuffed with gunpowder and, after being blessed, are propped up
on wooden launch platforms that resemble rickety ladders to heaven. As villagers dance
and cheer, the rockets are shot skywards. The thundering noise and clouds of smoke reas-
suringly simulate rainy season conditions, which are in turn supposed to inspire the spirits
to produce the real thing. Celebrations
in the south
can be wonderfully bawdy: men bran-
dishing foot-long,
wooden phalluses
give the local girls something to giggle about. The
rocket festival is also very popular with the ethnic Lao in northeastern Thailand, where it
has evolved into more of a sporting event, with participants wagering on what heights the
rockets will attain.
