Bun Bang Fai

Month : May
Place : Laos, Thailand
Famous For : Traditional (Rocket) Festival
Attractions : Skyrockets Competition filled with rockets having Gunpowder, Ribbons and a Dragons Head. .

The festival of Bung Bang Fai is a traditional festival of northeast Thailand and Laos. It's celebrated near the beginning of rainy season, usually in the month of May (in Laos). The main attractions of this festival include preliminary music and dance performances, competitive processions of floats, dancers and musicians on the second day, and culminating on the third day in competitive firings of home-made rockets. The Bung Bang Fai festival provides an excellent platform to local participants and sponsors, to enhance their social prestige.

Major Attractions
This festival is customary in traditional Buddhist folk festivals throughout Southeast Asia. The highlight of this festival are the rockets used as missiles or weapons. Popularly called as Bang Fai in hai language, these skyrockets are gigantic black-powder bottle rockets. As they may be launched from a bottle, they are called bottle rockets. While using Bang Fai, the 'bottle' is a section of bamboo Culm used as a container or pipe, called bong. The festival is celebrated to ensure good rain and an abundant crop season. There exists fierce competition amongst people about their rockets. Buddhist monks are the considered to be the best rocket builders. Their rockets are based on age old traditional blueprints, ccc. All families wish that rocket makes the biggest bang or travel the furthest distance. A party atmosphere continues with music, dancing and boisterous partying after rocket launching. Prizes are given to the most successful launches.

Official Website : http://www.trekearth.com/themes.php?thid=8588