Every year when Buddhist Lent ends on the first Full Moon night of October, a colourful phenomenon known as the Naga Fireballs takes place on the Mekong River in the northeastern province of Nong Khai.
After dusk, hundreds of pink-and-red fireballs rise out of the murky river without a sound, and up to the sky before disappearing without a trace or smell. The glowing balls are the size of a chicken egg or even bigger.
No one knows exactly why the natural phenomenon takes place.
Experts try to find explanations. They cite the cause of flammable phosphine gas from the riverbed that somehow releases during the first Full Moon in October. Perhaps it is because of the perfect combination of the position of Earth and the Moon.
But folklore in Thailand and also in Laos has another explanation. It talks about nagas, mythical serpents which are believed to reside in the Mekong River, shooting a series of fireballs from the river bed skyward to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent, when Lord Buddha returned from his retreat in heaven.
As a result, the event is known as Bang Fai Phaya Nak in Thai language. Bang fai means fire rockets, phaya nak is naga.
Last year, the unofficial number of fireballs was 829, up from 772 the year before.
If you wish to experience the enigmatic event, you may need to head to Nong Khai on Oct 24, the end of Buddhist Lent. You must hurry because accommodation is always fully booked in advance.
The phenomenon draws hundreds of thousands of people yearly. They will lay down their mats or camp along the bank of the Mekong River a day or two before the fireball night takes place to make sure they get a good spot.
To celebrate the festival, Nong Khai province will also host a weeklong event from Oct 21-27 at the Cultural Park of Wat Lam Duan in Muang district. There will also be boat races, a food fair, cultural shows, a singing contest, fireworks and an illuminated boat procession on the Mekong River.
Another popular celebration will be hosted at Wat Thai temple in Phon Phisai district, where the official festival will be organised by Phon Phisai Municipality from Oct 23 until Nov 1.
Nong Khai is about 630km from Bangkok. Trains (railway.co.th) and public buses (transport.co.th) depart from Bangkok to Nong Khai daily. An alternative is to fly to Udon Thani (minisite.airports.go.th/udonthani) and take a public bus or rent a car to Nong Khai, about 60km from Udon Thani Airport.
For more information, call the Tourism Authority of Thailand at 1672 or visit tourismthailand.org, or call the Office of the Department of Tourism in Nong Khai at 042-411-771 or visit nongkhai.mots.go.th or nongkhaidiscovery.com.
