With an ear-splitting explosion, a rocket 13 ft (4 m) long, packing several pounds of gunpowder, shoots from a bamboo launch into the clear blue sky. The sound is greeted by cheering and murmurs of approval from an appreciative crowd. The “rocket festival,” held each May, has its origins in local mythology: the rural community believed that their far-flung offerings would be rewarded by the rain god, who would bless them with plenty of water for the upcoming rice harvest.
The celebrations span three days and are accompanied by music, dancing, and drinking.
The Rocket Festival is a merit-making ceremony traditionally practiced by ethnic Lao people near the beginning of the wet season in numerous villages and municipalities, in the regions of Northeastern Thailand and Laos. Wikipedia