Bungfai rockets
Lesson by Zack LaohavoravudhikulOur lesson this week features the Bungfai festival, an annual rocket-launching contest held in the Northeast (and now also the North) of Thailand. You will learn the origin of this spectacular event, the activities people do during this festival period, and the words associated with it. Enjoy the lesson but do not try making rockets with explosives at home.
Blast-off time
Sai-arun Pinaduang
People
from the Northeast who migrate
to other provinces never forget their roots and usually take their own
culture and traditions with them wherever they go. Northern people,
known for being kind and gentle, have made it easy for people from
other regions to become assimilated, by adopting cultural activities
celebrated in other parts of the country.One cultural activity celebrated by people in Isan is the famous bung fai rocket festival. Since 2000, it has also been held in Phayao province in the North.
The festival, which takes place between May and June, heralds the beginning of the rainy season and rice growing season.
Farmers work together crafting rockets and stuffing them with explosives.
The rockets were originally made of bamboo packed with explosives. Nowadays, PVC pipes are more popular than bamboo, and are used more often.
The missiles are then fired into the sky — a way of asking the gods to deliver rainfall for their rice crops.
Rocket-launching contests are held annually to see whose rocket can shoot the highest.
Competitors whose rockets explode too soon after take-off are punished by getting tossed into a specially prepared mud pit.
The most famous bung fai festival is held in Yasothon province.
Samarn Buajoy, a former village head in tambon Angthong in Phayao’s Chiang Kham district, spoke of how people from Isan have moved and settled in northern provinces.
‘‘They moved in here because there was no fertile land for them to make a living on.
‘‘Much of the farmland in Isan is parched and barren. There is no water for farming.’’
They began migrating to northern provinces from 1962 onwards and building up Isan communities in what is known as the old Lanna kingdom.
Isan people in Phayao do not want to move anywhere else, as they have now put down roots and feel this northern province is their home, Mr Samarn said.
trail - a path through the countryside, often made or used for a particular purpose ร่องรอย
launched - sent something out, such as a rocket into space ปล่อย
migrate - if people migrate, they travel in large numbers to a new place to live temporarily อพยพ
assimilated - taken in, fit into, or become similar to กลายเป็นเหมือนหรือคล้ายกัน
adopting - accepting or starting to use something new นำมาใช้
heralds - to be a sign that something important, and often good, is starting to happen ส่งสัญญาณ
crafting - making objects ทำด้วยมือ
explosives - substances or pieces of equipment that can cause explosions สิ่งที่ระเบิดได้
take-off - leaving the ground and beginning to fly บินขึ้น
mud pit - a large hole in the ground filled with mud หลุมโคลน
fertile - describes land that can produce a large number of good quality crops อุดมสมบูรณ์
parched - dried out because of too much heat and not enough rain แห้งแล้ง
barren - unable to produce plants or fruit ปราศจากพืชผล
It is aimed at bringing together Isan and Lanna people to forge closer bonds between them.
On the first day, the festival features a contest in making Mud Mee silk clothes and a variety of wellknown local products go on sale. A Miss Bung Fai beauty contest is also held on this day.
A parade of trucks carrying decorated rockets travels around town, accompanied by dance processions. The rocket-shooting contest is held on the second day.
Each year, 13 villages in tambon Ang Thong send their bung fai rockets to compete.
The highlight is the two bung fai saen rockets made in Yasothon. The rockets weigh about one tonne each and cost 30,000 baht each to make.
The bung fai saen is the biggest of all bung fai rockets, containing at least 120 kilogrammes of explosives.
A patch of rice field is turned into the launching pad.
The festival is funded by the Tourism Authority of Thailand and the tambon Angthong administration organisation.
forge - to make or produce, especially with some difficulty หลอม
bonds - close connections joining two or more people ความผูกพัน
accompanied - went with ติดตาม, ร่วมทาง, เดินทางไปด้วย
processions - lines of people who are all walking or travelling in the same direction, especially in a formal way as part of a religious ceremony or public celebration ขบวนที่เคลื่อนไป
patch - a small area which is different in some way from the area that surrounds it ที่ดิน