Fire From the River: The Unsolved Mystery of the Naga Fireballs
On the last night of Buddhist Lent, usually in late October, hundreds of thousands of people line the banks of the Mekong River in Thailand's Nong Khai province and stare at the dark water. Then it begins: small reddish orbs of light rise silently out of the river, climb dozens or even hundreds of meters into the night sky, and vanish — no smoke, no sound, no falling debris.
Locals call them bang fai phaya nak — the fireballs of the Naga, the giant serpent said to dwell in the Mekong. In local Buddhist tradition, the lights are the serpent's salute to the Buddha as he returns to Earth at the end of the Lent retreat. Reported numbers range from a handful to thousands in a single night, and their size from tiny sparks to glowing spheres compared to basketballs. The district of Phon Phisai is the most famous viewing spot, where sightings go back generations.
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