THAILAND'S NAGA FIREBALLS.
As the full moon crests the horizon, ruby orbs of light begin to rise out of the Mekong River. As if by magic, they float silently into the air and then evaporate in the inky blackness, A phenomenon that awes and delights observers privileged to have seen them. For centuries, their existence was a closely-held secret among villagers living near the northeastern town of Nong Khai. Then, the miraculous event was discovered by outsiders who now flock to the riverbanks each October full moon night.
The silence of the fireballs’ ascent is emblematic of the mystery of their origins beneath the murky Mekong. Villagers claim that they are created by Nak, mythical serpents as central to Thai belief and as enigmatic as the fireballs themselves. The debate over their formation reflects a clash of cultures. On the one hand are the villagers for whom water and its denizens holds an almost mystical fascination. And little wonder: water nourishes the staple foods of rice and fish; it is central to every rite, festival, and procession from the Royal Barges to longboat races.
Rivers and canals once supported most Thais’ boats and homes, and water explains every elemental mystery. For a people who cling dearly to cherished beliefs about water and especially about its chief denizen, the nak (naga, in Sanskrit) the scientists’ desire to find a rational explanation for the phenomenon, that is an abomination. Faith and tradition vie with science.
Between 6 and 9 p.m. on the full moon night of the eleventh lunar month (October), the final night of Buddhist Lent, smokeless, scentless, soundless fireballs begin to rise from the deepest, Lao side of the Mekong. As many as 19 ruby globes at a time ascend to heights of 30 to 300 metres for three to eight seconds each, then simply vanish. In some years there are only a few; in 1999, nearly 3,500 fireballs were counted. They can be seen from ponds and a dozen riverbank villages but are most numerous near Phon Phisai.
The villagers’ assertion that the Nak are responsible for the miracle rests on an ancient Buddhist legend. During his final incarnation, Lord Buddha returned to earth after teaching his mother in Thavatimsa heaven at the end of Buddhist Lent. Phaya Nak and his followers welcomed him back by blowing fireballs into the sky. Since then, On the October full moon night, fireballs regarded as the fiery breath of the nak, mirroring medieval European beliefs of fire-breathing dragons have risen from the Mekong River. A miracle that people call 'Bang Fai Phaya Nak,' In recognition of the serpent king’s devotion.
On the preceding afternoon, villagers in traditional dress parade through Phon Phisai, accompanied by bands, and floats bearing images of the nak. In the evening, illuminated longboats float by the crowds gathered on the riverbanks. When the procession has passed onlookers settle in to wait for the magic to begin.
Many villagers claim to have glimpsed the gigantic Nak, A belief supported in some respects by science. Paleontologists say gigantic aquatic snakes termed Madtsoids appeared worldwide in the Cretaceous period. Fossilised vertebra found in South American suggest a serpent 18 metres long and a metre in diameter, near the size the villagers say they have seen. The ancient creatures also bore crests resembling those of the naga. Could descendents of the Madtsoids inhabit the depths of the Mekong River, much in the way that the pseudoryx, once thought extinct has surfaced in the mountains of northeastern Laos.