Fire Boats

Communities from the province build large scaffolding out of bamboo, which they put on boats and float down the river in the annual fire boat festival. Tin cans are filled with kerosene and stuffed with rags, then arranged on the scaffolding to form images of temples, the king, dragons, etc. At night the boats float down the Mekong for the appreciation of spectators. Held one night a year, at the end of Buddhist Lent (Jul-Oct).