Naga fireballs

The Naga fireballs (Thai: บั้งไฟพญานาค, bangfai payanak) are a phenomenon seen in the Mekong river - in Thailand (Nong Khai province and Isan) and in Laos - in which glowing balls rise from depths. The balls are reddish in colour and about the size of an egg; they rise a couple of hundred metres before disappearing. The number of fireballs is variable, being reported at between tens and thousands per night.
The fireballs have been seen for centuries and are most often reported around the night of Wan Awk Pansa - the end of the Buddhist rains retreat - in October, although displays have also been reported in March, April, May, June and September.
The cause of the phenomenon is unclear: it has been proposed that the balls are produced by the fermentation of sediment in the river, which can combust in the particular river and atmospheric conditions of the nights in question.
A programme on Thai television in 2002 suggested that they were produced by tracer fire from soldiers on the Lao side of the river. This provoked furious protests from local villagers, who believe that the balls are produced by a mythical serpent, the Naga or Phaya Naga, living in the river. Popular Thai language newspapers also supported the Naga theory.

Buriram

Buriram is a land of ancient Khmer prosperity. The southern part of the province has a number of Khmer sanctuaries, the most magnificent being Phanom Rung, regarded as one of the most beautiful examples of Khmer architecture in Thailand.

Buriram is 410 kilometres from Bangkok. It has an area of 10,321 square kilometres. The province is divided into the following districts: Mueang Buriram, Nang Rong, Lam Plai Mat, Prakhon Chai, Phutthaisong, Satuek, Krasang, Ban Kruat, Khu Mueang, Lahan Sai, Nong Ki, Pakham, Na Pho, Nong Hong, Phlapphla Chai, Huai Rat, Non Suwan, Chalerm Phra Kiat, Chamni, Non Din Daeng, Chaloem Phra Kiat, Ban Mai Chaiyaphot, Ban Dan, and Khaen Dong

Loei

Loei Provinces


Although geographically located in the northeast or I-San, Loei has many things in common with the northern region – namely its numerous high hills and mountains and its wintry as well as foggy climate. Literally speaking, the province deserves its name “Loei” which means ‘beyond’ or ‘to the furthest extreme’ as Loei lies in the northernmost part of the Northeastern region. Most notable is that Loei is the only province in Thailand where the temperature can drop to as low as zero Celsius in winter while it can become hotter than any province during summer. In short, Loei’s geography and climate is unique when compared to other I-San provinces.
Situated along the Phetchabun Mountain Range, Loei, a province that rises approximately 400 meters above sea level, is dubbed “the land of seas of mountains, the coolest in Siam”. Covering an area of 11,424 square kilometers (equivalent to 7.14 million rai of land), Loei Province, which is 520 kilometers from Bangkok shares a border with Laos to the north with the Khong and Heung Rivers forming the natural border, with Khon Kaen and Phetchabun Provinces to the south, with Nong Bua Lamphu, Udon Thani, Nong Khai and Khon Kaen Provinces to the east, and with Phitsanulok Province to the west. The province can be divided into three main areas: the high mountains in the west, the plains at the foot of the hills in the south and the east, and the lowlands in the basins of the Khong and the Loei Rivers.

From:www.tourismthailand.org

Ubon Ratchathani

Ubon Ratchathani has been a well established community for hundreds of years. Relatively unknown to the most tourists, the province boasts a number of natural wonders, cultural and historical attractions, national parks, silk producing shops, etc.
The province is renowned for its strong Buddhist tradition, particularly the practice of forest-dwelling monks and the ancient Buddhist temples, which can still be seen throughout the province today.
A gateway to Laos, Ubon Ratchathani is bordered to the east by the Mekong River and Laos, to the south by Cambodia, to the west by Yasothon and Sisaket Provinces and to the north by Amnat Charoen Province. The provincial capital is approximately 630 kilometers northeast of Bangkok.
The province is unique in its folk culture, which is expressed in the indigenous cuisine, handicrafts, such as silk and cotton products, basketry, and bronze-ware, and traditional events such as the Candle festival held every July. There are natural beauties and historical sites including the 4,000 years old rock formation, prehistoric rock paintings, national parks, waterfalls, and the two-colored river, etc.

by:http://www.tourismthailand.org/

Isan Introduction

For other uses, see Isan (disambiguation).

Isan is the northeastern region of Thailand
Isan, also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issan, or Esarn; (Isan/Thai: อีสาน) is the northeast region of Thailand. It is located on the Khorat Plateau , bordered by the Mekong River to the north and east, and by Cambodia to the south. To the west it is separated from Northern and Central Thailand by the Phetchabun mountain range.
Agriculture is the main economic activity, but due to the socio-economic conditions and hot, dry climate output lags behind that of other parts of the country. This is Thailand's poorest region.
The main language of the region is Isan (which is similar to Lao), but Thai is also spoken by almost everyone. Khmer (the language of Cambodia) is widely spoken in regions near the Cambodian border. Most of the population is of Lao origin, but the region's incorporation into the modern Thai state has been largely successful.
Prominent aspects of the Culture of Isan include mor lam (Thai: หมอลำ) folk music, Muay Thai boxing, cock fighting and Isan food, in which sticky rice (Thai: ข้าวเหนียว, khao niao) and chillies are prominent. Sticky rice is a staple of Thai Northeastern cuisine, and accompanies almost every meal.

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isan history

Isan has a number of important Bronze Age sites, with cliff paintings, artifacts and early evidence of rice cultivation. Iron and tools, such as found at Ban Chiang, may predate similar tools from Mesopotamia. The region later came under the influence first of the Dvaravati culture and then of the Khmer empire, which left temples at Phimai and Phanom Rung.
After the Khmer empire began to decline from the 13th century, Isan was dominated by the Lao Lan Xang kingdom, that had been established by Fa Ngum. Thereafter the region was increasingly settled by Lao and Thai migrants. Siam held sway from the 17 th century, and carried out forced population transfers from Laos to Isan in the 18th and 19th centuries. Franco-Siamese treaties of 1893 and 1904 made Isan the frontier between Siam and French Indochina.
In the 20th century a policy of "Thaification" promoted the incorporation of Isan as an integral part of Thailand and de-emphasised the Lao origins of the population. This policy extended to the use of the name "Isan" itself: the name is derived from that of Iśāna (Sanskrit: ईशान), a manifestation of Shiva as deity of the northeast, and the Sanskrit word for northeast. The name therefore reinforces the area's identity as the northeast of Thailand, rather than as a part of the Lao world. Before the central government forcibly introduced the Thai alphabet and language in schools, the people of Isan wrote in the Lao alphabet. Most Isan people still speak the Isan language which is closely related to the Lao language.

Rocket Festival

Near the beginning of the rainy season throughout much of northeast Thailand and Laos, villages and municipalities commonly celebrate rocket festivals (called in Thai: ประเพณีบุญบั้งไฟ Prapheni Bun Bang Fai Tradition of Boon of Bong of Fire). The celebration typically includes three days of music and dance performances, parades, and at least one competitive firing of home-made rockets. In recent years the Tourism Authority of Thailand has helped promote these events, particularly the festivals in the Thai provinces of Nong Khai and Yasothon -- the latter boasting the largest and most elaborate of these festivals. However, local participants and sponsors use the occasion to enhance their social prestige, as is customary in traditional Buddhist folk festivals throughout Southeast Asia. See also Gift culture[1].
Scholars study the centuries old rocket festival tradition today as it may be significant to the history of rocketry in the East,and perhaps also significant in the postcolonial socio-political development of the Southeast Asian nation states.

Economy

Agriculture is the largest sector of the economy, generating around 22% of the Gross Regional Product (compared to 8.5% for Thailand as a whole). Rice is the main crop (accounting for about 60% of the cultivated land), but farmers are increasingly diversifying into cassava (manioc), sugar cane and other cash crops. The long narrow province of Nong Khai Province which stretches along the Mekong River is also noted for the production of pineapples, tobacco (which is dried, cured and shredded by the families before collection by the cigarette manufacturers) and tomatoes which are grown on an industrial scale, particularly around the town of Sri Chiang Mai.

Geography

Isan covers 160,000 km² (62,000 square miles). It is roughly coterminous with the Khorat Plateau, which tilts from the Phetchabun Mountain range in the west of the region (the location of several national parks) down towards the Mekong River. The plateau consists of two main plains: the southern Khorat plain is drained by the Mun and Chi rivers, while the northern Sakon Nakhon plain is drained by the Loei and Songkhram rivers. The two plains are separated by the Phu Phan mountains. The soil is mostly sandy, with substantial salt deposits.

The Mekong forms a large part of the border between Thailand and Laos to the north and east of Isan, while the south of the region borders on Cambodia. The Mekong's main Thai tributary is the Mun River, which rises in the Khao Yai National Park near Khorat and runs east, joining the Mekong in Ubon Ratchathani Province. The other main river in Isan is the Chi River, which flows through central Isan before turning south to meet the Mun in Sisaket Province. The smaller Loei and Songkhram rivers are also tributaries of the Mekong, the former flowing north through Loei province and the latter flowing east through Udon Thani, Sakon Nakhon, Nakhon Phanom, and Nong Khai Provinces.
The average temperature range is from 30.2 °C to 19.6 °C. The highest temperature recorded was 43.9 °C in Udon Thani, the lowest -1.4 °C at Sakhon Nakhon Agro Station.
Rainfall is unpredictable, but is concentrated in the rainy season from May to October. Average annual Precipitation varies from 2000 mm in some areas to 1270 mm in the southwestern provinces of Nakhon Ratchasima, Buriram, Maha Sarakham, Khon Kaen and Chaiyaphum.

The rainy season begins with occasional but heavy showers, eventually raining very heavily for longer periods almost every day, usually in the late afternoon or at night until it ends abruptly at the onset of the cool season.
The other seasons are the cool season from October to February, when the people sit outside around fires in the evenings, and the hot season from February to May with its sudden peak of high temperatures in April.