Nya Mee Kyi (Fireworks Carrying Balloons) at the Tazaungdaing Festival in Myanmar

In an earlier post and on our FaceBook 180books fan page we talked about some of the daytime balloons at the Tazaungdaing Festival in Myanmar. Today, I’d like to tell or rather warn you about the fireworks carrying balloons. I had learned about these balloons on the internet and begged our guide to take us to see them being made. One problem with this is that there is a lot of secrecy about the design of the balloons, so we weren’t permitted to see them until the late afternoon, on the day of the launch.

As we turned down a back road in a fairly upscale Shan State neighborhood, I noticed a halo around the sun.  I’ve learned that this is not always a good omen, but the locals seemed to be quite pleased.  We were soon greeted by some friendly guys, who led us down a narrow footpath, as we got to know one another with the helpful translation of our guide.  We were taken to the back of a house, where a large piece of plastic was covering their pyrotechnical masterpiece.  Carefully they lifted a large tarp and revealed the fireworks payload pictured below.

It had a wire frame that was about 5 ‘x 5’ wide and tall.  Most of the various types of fireworks had already been attached and a very long fuse served as a timing device to ignite them at different times.  Being a lover of fireworks myself, I noted the different kinds and our host filled me in on the details.  The bottom row was to make showers of sparks and smoke.  Next were strings of firecrackers for noise, and even larger spark emitting bombs.  From that row up, things get really serious, with large rockets that left a trail of sparks before exploding.  The rows above were the same but had many more rockets.  He and his group had made all of this by hand, over the last few months.

The idea was to but a fire under a large balloon made of rice paper, until it is inflated.  Next, the fireworks frame is attached, along with a fuel to keep the balloon inflated.  Last, but certainly not least, and ONLY when the team is sure the balloon will fly, the fireworks fuse is lighted.  After watching the difficulties of getting the animal balloons aloft earlier that day, I could easily see many potential problems.  After a few more pictures, he mentioned that he knew a friend on another team, and although he wasn’t allowed to visit, due to secrecy, he made a phone call and we were on our way.

This next group seemed to have really thrown caution to the wind and were building the fireworks payload in their house!  There’s just something about the sight of a house packed with people making fireworks that make me nervous.  There was almost zero light inside, which made a good excuse for me to run, I mean leave, the house.  Now I knew why the band that had come to cheer on the group, were standing across the street, as they played a never-ending cadence using a clapper made from bamboo, a long drum, a pair of cymbals and a couple of gongs.  The rhythm was very hypnotic and soon I joined them, playing the clapper for a few minutes!

By the time we ate and returned to the event field, it was getting dark.  I noticed most of the locals were sitting on a hill, far away from the launch area, but it was too far away for my pictures.  We went down to the launch area and photographed several balloons with candles attached, which I’ll talk about another time.  Finally, it was time for the fireworks balloon!  I decided to throw caution to the wind and made my way towards the balloon as final preparations were being made for the launch.

As I got closer I recognized the balloon team, as my new friends I had met earlier in the day, and they motioned me to come closer, as they were inflating the balloon.  There was a very thick damp mist in the air and we collectively held our breath, as the balloon first headed upwards, then slowly set back down.  The crew used a second torch to fill the balloon, then lit the fuse, as they are judged for time, as well as, art, height of ascent, as well as time aloft and distance traveled, and they were taking longer than usual for this stage.

The sparks were already shooting from the payload and the balloon was just barely rising.  Some of the braver team members were using their hands to push the balloon upwards, enduring the wrath of the sparks.  Then the rockets started flying, as pictured above.  Just after that, all hell broke loose and everyone started to run, as rockets were now flying past our heads.  I turned and ran, but felt something hot land on my shoulder, which I was able to brush off with my thick gloves. Yes, I was prepared.  I heard loud cheering and looked back as the balloon was now rising quickly, apparently the fired rockets had lightened the load.

A short time later, I met up with our guide and my wife, who had also been nearby during the fiery launch.  We agreed to stay way, way back for the next launch, which was already about to take place.  This balloon had the same problem, and some rockets even managed to make their way over to us and explode at our feet. (See photo below)

Knowing that I already had a few good shots, we retreated to the hill and watched the remainder of the festival, fire free.  This event doesn’t have to be dangerous, if you don’t feel a need to get close and take pictures, and is really a spectacular festival that the whole family will enjoy.

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