Tuesday, October 14, 2008
--The Mekong's Mysterious Fireballs--
Khon Kaen, Thailand -- FOR two nights every year, thousands gather along the banks of the Mekong River to watch a strange phenomena the Thais call the Naga fireballs. The pinkish glowing balls, the size of chicken eggs, apparently emerge noiselessly from the river's surface, rise in straight-lined succession before disappearing in the thin night air.
The fireball spectacle, or what the locals call Bung Fai Pha Ya Nak, reportedly occurred more than 200 years ago. It happens on the full moon night of October, along a 300km stretch in Nong Khai, the north-east province of Thailand, bordering Laos.
It was the highlight of a five-day educational media trip to north-east Thailand and Laos that I was a part of, along with others from the Singapore print and broadcast industry.
The fireballs have become the main draw for the two-day celebrations that include light shows, boat contests, food offerings and traditional Thai shows.
However, there is no guarantee that they will appear every year. The mood was electric as the crowd of about 10,000 started filling in as early as 6pm.
They would stay till midnight, sustained by barbecued giant freshwater-fish, tom yam soup and Thai beer. You will know it when the fireballs are out.
The people will cheer, says Mr Nittaya Aumbhitaya, director of Tourism of Thailand of the nearby Khon Kaen province.
'You look up and they're in the air,' he says.
Asked if he has seen the fireballs himself, he says that he has every year.
'Last year, I saw three from here,' pointing at the river next to our dining table.
What causes the fireballs remains a mystery. But theories abound.
SUPERNATURAL?
The Nong Khai Thais, being devout Buddhists, believe the fireballs come from Naga, or serpent, as a form of spiritual homage to the Buddha.
Our tourist guide, Ms Veena Puntace, says of the fireballs: 'Initially, I believed the scientific explanation of the fireballs. But then I meditate too, and also, how do you explain the timing?'
The end of Buddhist lent coincides with the eleventh full moon, which is when the fireballs occur.
SCIENTIFIC?
Scientists however, have another explanation. They hold that the fireballs are the result of a series of natural forces at play.
In October, there is an abundance of plant and animal life decomposing at the bottom of the Mekong. These emit flammable natural gases as the sun beats down on the river. At night, these gases are released by the gravitational pull of the moon, at its strongest when it's full.
In a New York Times article, the Tourism of Thailand authorities apparently claimed that they had the chemical composition of the fireball sorted out: methane-nitrogen gas with aerobic and anaerobic bacteria that sparks when it rises and mixes with oxygen.
OR MAN-MADE?
A Thai TV station said that the fireballs were actually rounds of tracer ammunitions. The tracer rounds were supposedly fired on the other side of the riverbank by Laos soldiers who were using AK47 rifles.
This version did not go down well with Buddhists. Hundreds were reported to have gathered to protest against the TV station's version of the event last year. Mr Surasee Pathum, a Nong Khai film director who has completed a documentary on the fireballs, said: 'How many bullets will the Laos soldiers fire? A lot. Now, why would the Laos soldiers do that, to fool the world?
'Besides, the colour and the speed of the Naga fireballs are very different from that of bullets.,' he said
ALIENS
Watching the documentary VCD I bought at the site, I can't help but think of UFOs. But let's not go there.
It would have been easier for me to write what I think about the fireballs had I witnessed it myself. Sadly, in the four hours I waited, the only things that shot up from the riverbank were the numerous fireworks set off by excited members of the crowd.
By 10pm, the crowd had mostly thinned, with the intention of coming back the next night, which, after all, was Laos' full moon. The joke that night was that Naga was a Laotian. So it would definitely fire those balls the second night.
Whatever the Naga fireball was, the general consensus among the Singapore media group was of acceptance. The phenomena has moved a large number of people into believing in something that gives them hope, faith and I believe, happiness. The Naga fireballs have become inspirational, something to look forward to each year.
Much like Singaporeans' joy in anticipation of their National Day Parade. Only this one is on a more spiritual level.
We would have gladly stayed for the second night but we had to go. Who knows, maybe next year?
YOU can reach Khon Kaen and Udon Thani from Bangkok by flight and road (local coach).
From Udon Thani or Khon Kaen, take a coach to Nong Khai. The domestic airfare from Bangkok to Khon Kaen by Thai Airways is 1,500 baht (one way, including taxes) and by Air Asia it is 599 Baht (one way, excluding taxes).
~http://www.buddhistchannel.tv/index.php?id=1,360,0,0,1,0
~http://www.ecologyasia.com/news-archives/2003/apr-03/bangkokpost_030414_1.htm
~http://www.2bangkok.com/bangfai.shtml
~http://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/forum/index.php?showtopic=8551
~http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,501021125-391567,00.html
--The Mystery of Bang Fai Phaya Naga--
Many people have heard of or believe in the water creatures known as Naga, and say there is evidence indicating their presence in the Mekong River.In particular, on the night of 15th day of 11th month in the Lao lunar calendar at the end of Buddhist Lent (in 2003 it fell on Oct. 10), an extraordinary phenomenon occurs in the area of the Mekong River stretching over 20 kilometres between Pak-Ngeum district, about 80 kilometres south of the Lao capital Vientiane, and Phonephisai district in Nong Khai province, Thailand.
According to descriptions going back over 100 years by peoples on both sides of the river, at the end of Buddhist Lent something strange happened in the middle of the Mekong River. What they saw was a pink-red fireball appearing to rise and float into the sky at height of about 10 to 20 metres, and then disappear.
Everyone had doubts about this extraordinary occurrence, but later ccepted what they knew as facts about the fireball: that it was not staged by humans, but happened naturally. So from then on, villagers on both sides of the river called this phenomenon the Naga's Fireball. They believe that Naga under Mekong River shoot the fireball into the air to celebrate the end of Buddhist Lent, because Naga also meditate during this time.
The Naga animal appears to have been associated with Buddhism for a long time, going by the statues of Naga in temples. In addition, the Naga was a servant of Lord Buddha in his last life and there are many pictures and statues of Lord Buddha meditating under the shade of Naga's head, which means the Naga was the Lord Buddha's bodyguard.
Phrakhou Silitham Phakhoun, an abbot of Jomnang temple in Phonephisai district, explains the legend of the Naga. "Once upon the time while Lord Buddha was sitting, meditating under a big tree in the jungle, a young Naga came to ask him if he could be ordained as a monk, but Lord Buddha did not agree because Naga was an animal and could not be ordained like a human. But despite the fact that he was not ordained, the Naga volunteered to be a bodyguard of Lord Buddha, hoping to study Buddhism."
Like the Naga's story, that of the Naga fireball is also associated with Buddhism.
An abbot at the Pak-Ngeum temple describes the history of the phenomenon. "A long time ago there was a couple living in Pak-Ngeum village. They earned their living by fishing in the Mekong River all day and night, during Buddhist Lent, and even on Buddha days.
This disturbed the Naga King who meditated under the Mekong River. He told this couple not to catch fish and kill other animals on Buddha days, defined as the eighth and 15th days of the Lao Lunar Calendar because it was a sin, but the Naga asked them to meditate instead."
"In response to and out of respect for the Naga, all villagers in Pak-Ngeum and nearby villages along the Mekong River did not kill any animals for food on Buddha days. In addition, the Naga King asked this couple to hold boat processions on the Mekong River to mark the end of Buddhist Lent; at the same time the Naga in Mekong River shot fireballs into the air so they could celebrate together. From then on, the phenomenon of the Naga's fireball existed in the Mekong River at the end of Buddhist Lent."
Now each year, Lao and Thai peoples in Pak-Ngeum and Phonephisai districts mark the end of Buddhist Lent. Community and religious leaders urge young people to bring banana trees and bamboo to make a fireboat. The boat, decorated by candles, flowers and flaming torches, is placed in the Mekong River and released on the night of the end of Buddhist Lent. The sight is quite beautiful. On that night, people on both sides of the river flock to watch the boat going down the river as well as to enjoy the phenomenon of the Naga's fireball.
However, the Naga's fireball does not only appear in the Mekong River, but also in the ponds and rice fields. On the Lao side, people say they can see the fireball floating in the area of the ponds and rice fields near their villages. On the Thai side, the fireball shoots up in a pond locally known as Nong Pra Lay, residents say.
The phenomenon of the Naga's fireball may be strange to outsiders, but it has long been normal for locals, because they see it every year and pass information about it to each other. But these days, Thai officials have been announcing this event through mass media including radio, television and newspapers. When news of the Naga's fireball spreads, people are interested in and want to see it with their own eyes. It has become interesting also for foreigners.
Thus, at the end of Buddhist Lent each year, Lao, Thai, and foreigners flock to come and see this phenomenon in the evening. This causes mammoth traffic jams that stretch over 50 kilometres on the roads along Pak-Ngeum and Phonephisai districts in both the Lao and Thai sides of the Mekong.
Now that the Naga's fireball is well-known, many people have expressed their views on what they think the 'truth' is behind it. Some talk in terms of science, others believe in the ways of culture.
One scientist said: "The fireball is caused by an explosion of gas deposited under the Mekong River, and it happens at a certain time of year." Another source said: "It is not gas under the Mekong River, because the bottom of the river is sand where gas cannot be deposited. The fireball is staged by humans."
Uncle Phoh, 93, the most elderly of the residents in Nong Khiate village where the Naga's fireball appears a lot, said: "I have been seeing this phenomenon since I was a child and I call it the Naga's fireball in accordance with what my elders told me. It happens naturally and no one stages the event."
Uncle Kohmen, a 73-year-old native of Phonephisai district, said: "The beliefs about the Naga's fireball held by the Phonephisai and Pak-Ngeum people on the other side have been inherited (through the generations) for a long time and it is part of their lives. The important thing is that such a belief does not trouble anyone."
Seventeen-year old Saovanee Suwanarod, a student of Chumphol Phonephisai secondary school, remarked: "Belief does not always need to be proven in scientific terms."
But Souksakhone, a 23-year-old native of Pak-Ngeum district studying at the National University of Laos, observed: "It does not matter that I still call this phenomenon the Naga's fireball, because I have seen it since I was a child.
The scientific explanation has not been absolutely proven. According to the explanation of scientists on Thai TV programmes (in 2002), it is only guesswork and there are still doubts about it."
Whatever causes it, there is no question that the Naga fireball is a legend born in Mekong River and has long been part of the culture of the peoples on both sides of the river.
(This story was also published in the 'Vientiane Times'. It was done under the 'Our Mekong: A Vision amid Globalisation: A Vision amid Globalisation' media fellowship programme, run by IPS Asia-Pacific and supported by the Rockefeller Foundation.)
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~http://www.newsmekong.org/comment/reply/122
