Surprising Things You’d Only See in Thailand

Some festivals ask the weather gods politely. Bun Bang Fai sends rockets. During Thailand’s traditional Rocket Festival, enormous homemade rockets are launched high into the sky, turning an ancient rain-seeking custom into a roaring spectacle of smoke, noise, and celebration.

The tradition is tied to agricultural communities and the hope for rain before the growing season. Thailand’s tourism authority describes Bun Bang Fai as a festival asking favors from the God of Rain. When the crops need water, apparently a very large rocket can help deliver the message.