months. Anthropology Professor Charles F. Keyes advises, "In recognition of the deep-seated meaning of certain traditions for the peoples of the societies of mainland Southeast Asia, the rulers of these societies have incorporated some indigenous symbols into the national cultures that they have worked to construct in the postcolonial period. Giving the "Bun Bang Fai or fire rocket festival of Laos" as one example, he adds that it remains "…far more elaborate in the villages than in the cities…." Present day in Laos Bun Bang Fai originates from ancient times when ethnic Lao people believed in many gods and is mentioned in tales, such as ‘The Tale of Pha Daeng–Nang Ai () and ‘The Tale of Phaya Khankhak ().’ These stories refer to the firing of rockets to the heavens to communicate with the God of Rain () and persuade him to send the rains in the earth in a timely fashion for cultivation. Early European explorers passing through Laos in 1800s recorded witnessing the rocket festivals in the country. Louis de Carné, in 1866, described a celebration in southern Laos, where bamboos loaded with powder went off, producing violent explosions. Furthermore, Etienne Aymonier, visiting Laos in 1883, described Bang Phoai (Bang Fai) as strong tubes of bamboo fretted with cords, rattans, in which powder was stuffed. The powder was manufactured in the country by mixing ten parts of saltpeter (potassium nitrate) with three of wood charcoal and a part and half of sulphur. These rockets were prepared in advance and then deposited on trestles at the pagoda. The rockets were paraded around the temple before their launching the next day. The celebration, which occurred in May or June, was boisterous with people playing music, singing, dancing, and getting drunk. Today in Laos, Bun Bang Fai is well-preserved and remains steeped in the Lao folklore and one of the most important traditional festivals celebrated in villages and towns across Laos. It is also celebrated by Lao communities living outside of Laos, most of them in the United States and in France. Bun Bang Fai in Laos Bun Bang Fai is held over the sixth Lunar month, usually around May and June, coinciding with the plantation and the beginning of the rainy seasons. Several months before the festival, an organizing committee is formed in each future host village to discuss about all aspects of the festival, including inviting other villages, establishing