The Naga Fireballs of Nong Khai

On the 15th day of the waxing moon in the 11th lunar month each year (the end of Buddhist Lent), thousands of travellers gather along the Mekong River to witness a phenomenon that appears only once a year: the Naga fireballs.

The Naga Fireballs are a natural spectacle in which more than 200 glowing pink-red orbs of light rise silently from the Mekong without smoke, sound, or smell along stretches of the river in Phon Phisai, Rattanawapi, and Sangkhom districts in Nong Khai province, and Mueang Bueng Kan, Bueng Khong Long, and Pak Khat districts in Bueng Kan province. The lights vanish into the sky after rising somewhere between 50 and 150 metres, their mysterious origin a subject of long-running debate.

Locals once called this phenomenon Bang Fai Phi, or “ghost fireballs,” but the belief that the lights are released by Naga serpents dwelling in the depths of the Mekong as an offering to the Buddha gave rise to the name we know today: Bang Fai Phaya Nak, the Naga Fireballs.

Besides the fireballs, the end of Buddhist Lent brings a host of other cultural traditions, including the launching of fire boats carved from banana trunks or wood and filled with incense, candles, flowers and offerings in homage to the Buddha and the Naga, long-boat races, a procession of wax castles and the Tak Bat Tewo Rohana almsgiving ceremony, featuring khao tom luk yon, balls of sticky rice traditionally tossed to monks too far away to receive alms directly.

This year, the end of Buddhist Lent falls on 26 October, the date to visit for the best chance of witnessing the Naga fireballs.

Getting there: Fly to Udon Thani with THAI, then continue by road to Nong Khai. Click here