Rocket Festival and Monk Ordination in Rural Sisaket

A local rocket festival in rural Sisaket sounded like the perfect Sunday outing. What we didn’t expect was to end the day dancing through village lanes as a young Thai man prepared to enter monkhood.

Monk Ordination Parade Through the Village

It was my friend John who messaged me and asked if we fancied a trip with him and his other half to a local rocket festival, near where relatives of his wife Da lived. With our car off the road awaiting repairs, my wife Taew and I jumped at the opportunity.

Heading to Pao for Bun Fai

We were picked up and then headed to a place called Pao, in Ban Bueng District of Sisaket Province, stopping in Sisaket city to pick up grilled chicken skewers in case food options were limited. Never presume in Thailand, as I often remind myself.

Rockets, Music and Village Life

After some confusion, we went down the right lane out in the countryside, away from the village staging the event, to an open field where a decent crowd had assembled. Food stalls surrounded the field, while blankets and folding chairs quickly appeared on the rough ground.

A stage was set up on a truck, with dancers, while music blared out. It was early afternoon and promised to be quite an event once the drinks had started to flow near the climax of the competition. The rockets were launched frequently, and all the locals seemed friendly, while slightly perplexed by the appearance of two farang.

Awaiting the Rocket Launch

An Unexpected Procession

John and I were in the mood to hang around, returning to our ladies, and to be met by news that we were going elsewhere. Details were sketchy, but once their minds were made up, there was no point in discussing it.

In Pao, the narrow lanes of the village off the main road had noise coming from one of them. John managed to find somewhere to park, as we headed in the direction of the sounds and found a small-scale procession in progress. A young man with a shaved head was sitting in the back of a truck with a couple of assistants.

He was about to enter monkhood for a short while, and the procession was part of the celebrations surrounding his ordination. For many Thai men, temporary ordination is seen as an important cultural rite of passage. Music was playing loudly from a vehicle in front, while everyone from the village took part.

My YouTube Video of the Festivities

Dancing Through the Village

Many were dancing on the road, while those who didn’t fancy it, or were unable to do so, came to their front gate and joined in that way. It must have been a wonderful experience, as I was soon dancing with the others, while I also filmed clips for a video to go on my YouTube Channel. 

A Perfect Sunday in Rural Thailand

One man, in his mobility vehicle, drank beer as he drove. We were strangers, but we were welcomed with open arms and given drinks as we continued along the route. It was slow going, but great fun. After an hour or so, we decided to return to the car as the parade continued.

We were invited to the party in front of a house where tables and chairs were set out, and a catering team were preparing food for the function. Instead, John took us back to our village of Suan Kluai.

What began as a casual Sunday trip to a rocket festival turned into something completely different. Between the rockets, music, dancing and warm village welcome, it was another reminder that some of the best experiences in rural Isaan are the ones you never planned for.

Fun on the Village Parade

If you enjoyed this story, feel free to check out my YouTube Channel, where I share videos about everyday life in Thailand, local football, and travel across the country, including the day out described in this article.

Thanks for reading.