Boun Bang Fai: Rocket Festival- symbol of Laos


 
The first time I ever was aware of Laos as an individual country outside of simply being a name on a map next to Thailand and Cambodia was when I watched the The Rocket (2013). The film ends in the main character participating in a rocket festival. Ever since the rocket festivals of Laos have stayed in my mind as symbolic of the country. Showcasing the communities of the villages, the beauty of the area and the history and traditions of cultures in Laos.

While the festival has become an attraction for tourists it still is largely a community affair which brings together different villages. Boun Bang Fai is the biggest rocket festival in Laos. It occurs over the sixth Lunar month usually around May or June. As with most cultural events in Laos, the roots of the festival lie in Buddhist traditions, specifically the story of the 'Toad King’. The festival focuses on trying to beckon rain and to celebrate fertility. It is often a baudy affair with men dressing in women’s clothes in order to ‘anger the gods’ and various humour is drawn from the festival being focused on fertility with phallic images abounding. The mix of music, dances and street processions makes it an exciting affair.

Boun Bang Fai Rocket Festival Laos




Boun Bang Fai Rocket Festival LaosThe festival is also free to attend so for a student of you can get there for the right dates it can potentially be a very thrifty sight to see. it's great bang for your buck (pun intended). Just be warned that the festival is infamous for poor safety standards. But if you're willing to risk it you'll potentially be able to witness a festival exploding with local humour, history and colour.

Comments

  1. StudentTraveller9 August 2017 at 17:19

    Thanks so much for the info! Great for a student like me :)

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Luang Prabang- Saving Architecture but Losing Soul

Image
Wat Xieng Thong In 1995, Luang Prabang was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Its mixture of French colonial villas, Buddhist temples and beautiful landscapes are enchanting to visitors. Ever since, tourism has been a fundamental aspect of the town's economy and culture. While the architectural heritage has been protected by UNESCO regulations, Luang Prabang as a living city has become defined by its past and has steadily rejected long term residents. Prices have risen dramatically, leaving only the wealthy able to afford to live in Luang Prabang. Francis Engelmann, former UNESCO consultant, stated 'we have saved Luang Prabang's buildings but we have lots its soul'. Anthropologist David Berliner refers to this as the ‘unescoization’; the development into ‘idealised traditions’ for the tourist gaze. Traditions like the monks’ alms procession, as I've previously written about, have been affected by tourists turning the ritual into a...
Read more

About

Image
Welcome to Shoestring Student! I'm Frankie, a 21 year old university student from Melbourne studying sociology and gender studies. At the moment I'm planning on travelling to Laos so my posts will be featuring a lot of research surrounding travelling to Laos. Laos is nestled between China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam. It's a mountainous landlocked region with 49 different ethnic groups and 4 main languages. With gorgeous scenery, temples and the traditions that are rooted in the strong Buddhist culture of Laos, it's an interesting and diverse place to visit. When you're a student is the perfect time to travel! You've got far more time, less obligations and a huge amount of energy ready to spend on discovering the world-  and discovering yourself. As  Pico Iyer says   " Travel, then, is a voyage into that famously subjective zone, the imagination, and what the traveler brings back is — and has to be — an ineffable compound of himsel...
Read more