Excursion to attend the Bun Bang Fai or skyrocket festival
This year Thai-Experience.org volunteers went to Baan Meuang Baan to enjoy the festival in a rural village and watch the skyrocket competition.
Did you ever try to take a photo covering both of your ears at the same time?
Sabine forgot to bring her ear plugs so she had a little bit of a problem taking photos of the starting rockets. Pictures from the Thai rocket festival
Bun Bang Fai or rocket festival
The Bun Bang Fai Festival, held at the beginning of the rainy season, is an important ceremony for Isan villagers. Celebrated with dance, song, music and revelry and, of course the skyrockets, it serves to assure abundant rainfall to guarantee a good harvest and welfare of the villagers. It also helps to vent all the restricted feelings and one will be able to see Thais behave in a way society normally bans like fighting, drinking, and crude action with sexual undertones.
Usually it takes place between mid May and mid June but if the rain is late it might be postponed. As preparations involve at lot of work exactly at the time when villagers are busy with preparing the rice fields and planting rice, villages often join forces and hold the festival together in one village.
Nowadays the building of the rockets is no longer the sole task of the monks, being the one with the knowledge and time to do so. The competitions for the highest flight of a rocket are entered by laymen as well. While the pounding of the gun powder for the rockets in former times often was a task for the young girls in the village, giving them also an occasion for group flirting at night when the men come watching, it lost some of it original meaning when carried out at some ones home.
The rockets are no longer made of natural material. You see all sorts of plastic pipes filled with gun powder, but they are still carried through the village and get the blessing of the monks.
As often in Thailand, there is a legend about the rocket festival: Because rain god Wassakan not only was responsible for the rain but also loved fire, the villagers one day decided to take the fire up to the sky where he lives to please him and ask for enough rain.
Goodbye Dr. Thein
Thein, an American food scientist, born in Burma, joined us for one week to teach English. He left to start teaching food science at the university in Chiang Rai.
Thein: "I found friends here. The Thai people were so friendly and open. It was a short visit but I loved it." back to the top
Volunteers joined the provincial sports day
In Nongkhai we celebrated the provincial sports day last month. Thai-Experience.org volunteers were invited and cheered the social affairs team. As we have many friends within the Nonkhai Provicial government, supporting us and our idea, it was a little bit difficult to decide for which team to hold thumbs. We decided on the weakest one. The team was not successful in winning any prize for their sportly effords, but together we won the first prize for the best cheer!
In the evening we joined the big party and as it was also the governors birthday it was a colorful event with lots of Thai food and, of course karaoke. back to the top
Upcoming Festival and Holidays
21.7. Asarnha Bucha Day
On the full moon day of the eighth lunar month (July) Buddists celebrate Asarna Bucha Day, to remind of the first sermon - the "turning of the wheel of the Dharma" - Lord Buddha gave to his disciples. Celebrated with candle light processions.
22.7. Buddhist Lent Day
This marks the beginning of the Buddhist rain retreat which last three months. During this period monks are not allowed to sleep outside their temple. Thai people buy big candles and offer them to temples. back to the top