PATHUM THANI: Homemade missiles fizzed, roared and sputtered across a field in central Thailand on Sunday as amateur rocketeers put their skills to the test in front of hundreds of revellers.

The “Look Noo” festival originated among Thailand’s Mon ethnic group as a way to honour deceased monks in the Buddhist kingdom — using a rocket as a spectacular way to ignite a cremation fire from afar.

It gradually developed into a competition, with hundreds gathering every year trying to hit a target around a hundred metres away — or at least send their projectiles flying further than their rivals.

Sunday saw the resumption of the annual festival — paused since 2019 because of the pandemic-spurred social distancing restrictions in Thailand — with around 1,000 spectators amassing in Pathum Thani to cheer on over two dozen teams.

The rockets deployed are around a metre long, made from metal and wood and filled with homemade explosives, usually potassium-based.

Their horizontal flight is guided first by a cable hanging slightly above head-height, along which they stutter and fizz, gradually picking up speed and belching yellow-white smoke.

At the end of the cable, the rocket continues zipping through the air — and hopefully towards the target — for a few brief seconds before careening nose over tail across the swampy ground.

Published in Dawn, May 2nd, 2022