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Bun Bang Fai
(redirected from Rocket Festival)

    Also found in: Wikipedia 0.01 sec.
Bun Bang Fai (Boun Bang Fay; Rocket Festival)
April-May; full moon day of Hindu month of Vaisakha; second weekend in May
Bun Bang Fai is a rain ceremony celebrated in Laos and northeastern Thailand during Buddhist Vesak or Vesakha Puja, observed on the full moon day of the sixth Hindu month (Vaisakha). The Bun Bang Fai ( bun or boun means "festival" in Lao) pre-dates Buddhism and is intended to insure good crops.
In Laos, this is one of the country's wildest celebrations, with music and irreverent dances, processions, and merrymaking. The celebration ends with the firing of bamboo rockets into the sky, supposedly prompting the heavens to commence the rainy season and bring water to the rice fields. Prizes go to the fastest, highest, and brightest rockets.
In Thailand, the celebration is usually on the second weekend in May and is especially festive in Yasothon, with villagers shooting off huge rockets. Before the shooting, there are beauty parades, folk dances, and ribald entertainment.
CONTACTS:
Lao Embassy
2222 S St. N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20008
202-667-0076; fax: 202-332-4923
www.laoembassy.com
Tourism Authority of Thailand
611 N. Larchmont Blvd., 1st Fl.
Los Angeles, CA 90004
800-842-4526 or 323-461-9814; fax: 323-461-9834
www.tourismthailand.org
SOURCES:
BkHolWrld-1986, May 26
FolkWrldHol-1999, p. 381
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In fact, the only other instance of mud-based excitement in the country is seen during the rocket festival.
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Travel Asia: Yasothon Rocket Festival In the middle of May, things get very noisy for Asian travelers to the Phaya Thaen Park in Thailand.
Travel Asia Festivities and Fun by raza / Travel, recreation and leisure community
 
 
 
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