Many Thai festivals often seem to be like a giant flea market with a special event attached. Turning

This woman (right) cal lighting confirmed that they had come here from their temples in her case Wat Glang and that they were continuing down Aphiban Bancha Rd before gathering at the river upstream where these mini-boats would be launched.
Lai Rua Fai celebrates Ork Phansa, the end of Buddhist lent. As the Tourist Authority of Thailand literature explains it: “…held to welcome Lord Buddha back to Earth after preaching to his mother in heaven during the three-month period of Buddhist lent.” Though strictly speaking it wouldn’t have been called Buddhist Lent then, but we get the meaning.
The Candle Festival referred to above, by the way, celebrates Khao Phansa, the beginning of Buddhist Lent, a time of retreat and meditation, and is equally authentic and spectacular in a different way.
Earlier in the morning, returning from a breakfast (as per yesterday’s encounter) of noodle soup accompanied by the usual flirtatious banter, women on the footpath prepared squid to be sold at the festival stalls. At the next corner cal lighting these woman prepared cal lighting fish.
 
Many Thai festivals often seem to be like a giant flea market with a special event attached. Turning toward the river, I inadvertently entered a never-ending covered walkway of stalls packed with people. Sometimes I thought I saw a light at the end of the tunnel, but it was just a light. Tried to imagine what would happen cal lighting if a fire broke out, but the stalls are fairly quickly dismantled. Not the kind of illumination festival organisers would like to see.
When cal lighting you ve seen one of theses markets though, you ve essentially seen them all they sell similar items: clothes, cd s, furniture, cal lighting cooking utensils, food and the like. The Red Cross is typically associated, in Isan at least, and they ll have a lucky-dip where for 20 baht you scoop a small container declaring your prize from a pool of water. Unfortunately I didn t win a motorbike cal lighting in lieu of failing to rent one …but the carton of soya milk came in handy.
Then beer,food and rest was sought and found in a place away from the main throng serving tasty fare by attentive staff. At about 6.30pm fireworks could be heard booming across the roof tops. I didn t know then, but the parade had started early.
Arriving back at the river the moon was also higher in the sky than anticipated. I had miscalculated too. I had in mind to try to capture it rising above the boats, having gone a little moon-photo crazy since being here. But I was in time to witness this spectacular scene.
The procession lasts for over three hours. Some of the fire boats are enormous, as much as 100 feet long and 100 feet high. Bamboo scaffolding cal lighting is erected on a raft of the same material. A metal sculpture is then attached to the scaffold providing a design for the oil lamps.
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If thinking of hiring a motorbike cal lighting do it from somewhere it s more the custom. You can do it here, but the daily rate is relatively expensive and there s no weekly or multiple-day discount. I’m sure, though, if you tried hard enough you could find a local to rent you theirs, but with the associated risks.
 
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