Hi! In this article I have two very interesting yet dangerous festivals to talk about. You might have been to the battle of Flowers Festival, but I doubt you have been to a festival like these two: The Fireball Festival in El Salvador and the Fireball Festival in Thailand.
The Fireball Festival of El Salvador takes place in Nejapa and it is actually a religious festival in which people in war paint throw balls of cloth soaked in kerosene at each other. This event is actually quite dangerous, in fact they actually have police and an ambulance on hand. The participants wear several layers of clothes soaked in water and thick glove to protect themselves. The spectators wear nothing special, just what they usually wear. Sometimes the spectators join the festival without any layered clothes or anything.
The whole reason they have this festival is to celebrate the anniversary of a major volcano eruption that caused the people to move their town. The reason they celebrate the eruption is because while they were leaving, it looked like their patron saint, St. Jerome, and Satin (otherwise known as the devil) were fighting. The balls of fire can reach up to five meters in length. The event lasts about two hours, then they party some more with live music and free tamales.
The Fireball Festival in Naga, Thailand is what could be considered a more peaceful event. This event is a natural phenomenon that leaves scientist speechless. Every year in October on the last day of Buddha Lent, small balls of fire rise from the Mekong river and rise into the night sky. The balls in the colors of red, blue, green, and even pink. Their religion suggests that underneath that area of the river is the spirit world of the Naga. The festival causes the Naga to leave the spirit world and join in on the celebration that celebrates the return of their Lord Buddha. The fireballs are the main focus of the two day festival. In the festival their will be crowds of people and singing monks. The fireballs are believed to form the steps in which the Lord Buddha descends.
What I believe to be truly amazing is how many religions are so similar yet different. The festival in Nejapa is a Christian and the festival in Naga is a Buddhist event, though they are somewhat similar. There are a countless number of cultures in this world, and that’s what makes the world what it is. If I go to Mexico I will find some cultures different from one I would find China, but I might find some similarities. What makes every culture or religion so unique is the way each culture or religion views and interprets an event or belief. Catholics might believe that the fireballs are angels, the Aztecs might have believed that they are one of their many gods. Cultures have a lot of effect on the festivals, so every festival is different yet similar. Some similarities are that both festivals are religious, even if one is more peaceful. Both I’m sure are very important to their communities. Another similarity is that both are based on natural events, even if one is more destructive than the other. Some differences are that one is more peaceful and quiet. Either way religions and cultures are extremely unique and special.
I found the Fireball Festival in Naga, Thailand very interesting, because my home country is Thailand.