Taking place in May ahead of the rainy season, Thailand’s Rocket Festivals are an extraordinary event. This annual festival is steeped in tradition and shows the importance of rice to everyday Thai life. Although some Rocket Festivals are held in the north of Thailand in provinces including Chiang Mai, it is the north-east region of Isaan where the tradition is strongest with the Bung Ban Fai Rocket Festival.
The festivals include parades, morlam country music, and plenty of food and alcohol. It’s a fun event which provides farmers and the local community with the chance to party before the hard work of rice planting begins.
Why are rockets used?
Rice is the staple food in Thailand and farmers do all they can to ensure a successful crop. In Isaan folklore, it’s said that the rains will only arrive when the gods are in the mood for love. So, at the start of the rice-planting season in May, parties are held to get the gods to do their thing. As part of the festivities, phallic-shaped bamboo rockets are launched into the sky as a symbolic way to encourage the arrival of the rains which are crucial for the rice crop.
Over the years, the rockets have become bigger and more elaborate. Some of the rockets stand at over 10 metres tall and are packed with dozens of kilograms of charcoal and gunpowder. Traditionally made from bamboo, PVC or plastic tubing is also now used and the projectiles can climb hundreds of metres into the air.
The rockets are often decorated with nagas – serpent-like creatures from Hindu and Buddhist mythology – to deter bad spirits and encourage the rains. There is plenty of local pride and friendly rivalry with craftsmen from different villages competing to make the most attractive and best-performing rockets.
(Photo: Visun Khankasem/Shutterstock.com)
Ahead of the bung fai (rocket firing), the rockets are placed on chariots and paraded through the local village or town. When the rockets are fired, a judging panel awards marks not just on the height the rocket reached, but also on how well decorated they were and whether they left a good vapour trail behind. Despite all the intense preparation, not all rocket launches go to plan. Individuals or teams that fail with their rockets run the risk of being thrown into the nearest pond by the other teams. It’s all taken in good spirit with the Thai concept of sanuk at the fore.
Isaan: Thailand’s rural heartland
Incorporating 20 provinces, the north-east of Thailand is known as Isaan. It’s an area that many tourists won’t be familiar with because it lacks the beautiful beaches of the South and the scenic mountains of the North. The very fact that Isaan is off the tourist radar is a good reason to visit.
Although there are some important cities here like Nakhon Ratchasima, Isaan is largely rural. Agriculture and farming play an important role in the economy. Isaan people have a reputation for hospitality and for knowing how to party and it helps make the Isaan Rocket Festivals some of the most memorable events on the Thai festival calendar.
Dates and locations for the Rocket Festivals
The exact dates of the Rocket Festivals vary from province to province, but are held from late April to early June. The most famous of these events take place in Yasothon over the second weekend in May. Accommodation over the festival weekend is usually booked out a long time in advance so you need to get in early if you’d like to attend. Alternatively, you can stay in the nearby city of Ubon Ratchathani and make a day trip to Yasothon for the festival.
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