Here is a link that explains what the festival is all about.
Honestly I didn’t think that I would be getting into too much for this festival. Sure it was enticing to look out the window and see thousands upon thousands of little flames floating in the sky and to hear the sounds of fireworks going off every split second. But, since I didn’t have any access to the internet at my place in which to guide me to the events happening around town, and due to my contentment with just taking it easy at the homestead; I was pretty unmotivated to get out into the throng of crowds that were milling about. Then I get a call from my buddy Bo who was having a small party at her place with her family and a couple of friends. She offered to pick me up and since I really did not have too terribly much going on, I accepted the invitation.
Once I stepped outside to wait for my ride, I lit up a cigarette and began to take all the sights in. It was as if I were in the middle of war zone that had been set into slow motion. Tracers seemed to be shooting across the sky but it was as if there movement had been frozen, not quite frozen though, more like they were there in existence between progress and stagnation, just gradually floating up. The sky was illuminated by thousands of these small red dots which were slowly fluttering rather than shooting across the sky. A bright full reddish hued moon served as the beacon for these flickering fire flies in the night. In addition to the floating lanterns, there were rockets splitting the night in luminous streaks of color. With the light show there was the constant concussive sounds created by the masses setting off far too readily available fireworks. It was an impossible sight to describe really. Along the streets, candles had been laid in front of all of the homes and shops. The candles that were lined down the pathways of every chosen direction were putting off a radiance, which mixed with the lingering smoke in the streets to create a very spooky kind of walkway. All in all, it was a surreal scene that I found myself in. As I finished my second cigarette my ride pulled up.
At round eight or nine we arrived at Bo’s place. I was then introduced to a few more of Bo’s wonderful family and given a beverage as well some deliciously spiced meat. This was more of a pre-party, I later found out, for a big shindig that goes down by an old bridge. We stayed at Bo’s for a bit and did a little dancing, which gave me a chance to show off a few old school break dancing moves – hard to believe I’m still able to pull any of these moves off at my forty years of age. We had a few more drinks, shot off several fireworks and then we all piled into an Uncles truck and headed to the big party. Man, once we got to the bridge we were engulfed by a mob of people who were releasing little floating offerings into the river, releasing lanterns in the sky and setting off a ton of explosives. A Ferris wheel could be seen on the banks of the river carrying revelers in circles, carnival games were being played and a band was on the stage singing out Thai words whose meanings were just abstract expressions to my ears. There were beautiful ladies bringing large cylinders of beer which included a nice pour tap for self regulation at the table, as well as bottles of whisky. Our table had three of these towering vessels of Chang beer and of course there were several different dishes of food laid out on the table. Unfortunately the batteries for my camera finally died and I was unable to get any pictures of this large party by the shore. The battery thing was a letdown, but what are you going to do. Along the way to the tables, my compatriots were accosted by the police when they were caught shooting some sort of mortar type device off of the bridge. My sense of survival kicked in when the cops showed up, I stealthy blended into the crowd and slowly I put a fair amount of distance between the altercation and myself. The funny thing was that my two friends were just sitting there antagonizing these poor overworked cops by going back and forth with them and not just choosing to walk away. Oh well, if for some reason they gain some sort of thrill from poking a stick in the cage of the beast, then more power to them; my choice was to simply keep clear. Later, there were some very interesting people that joined us at our table. One guy I met spoke Thai, English and Japanese. He had just gotten back from Japan and was now in Chiang Mai in order to open a Japanese restaurant. This guy served as a great translator for me and the rest of the group. It was finally nice to have an opportunity to better communicate with these so very hospitable persons seated at the table. 
We finally checked out from that place at around 3AM and I got into my bed at about 3:30 in the AM. Once again, the locals here have showed me a wonderful time and allowed me to share in a genuine local experience. And for this I am extremely thankful, however, since that Friday night I have also been very happy to just take it easy, strolling around my little area and just taking it easy. Hope you are all taking it easy as well. Take care.
Jeff, your writings and pics are delightful! The more you write, the better! Love ~
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