Tonight is a big night in Thailand – Full Moon with Full Moon parties everywhere. The official explanation is:
“In the ancient days, the moon and the sun were worshipped as harbingers of things to come. This veneration increased during a full moon. Celebrations were held to mark its occurrence. Wine flowed endlessly. Virgins were sometimes sacrificed to appease the gods. There was dancing accompanied by music emanating from primitive instruments.”
From what I can hear the wine (beer), music and dancing are still happening but not sure about virgin sacrifices. But if I was a true traveller, I would have got the ferry to Kao Phangan with the 20,000 or so other people who go there each month for the party. I happily made do with a glass of wine at the beach – the sea has returned to the benign thing it should be and with not a cloud in the sky it was peaceful to look out at the reflection of the full moon in the calm, ink blue sea like it was in a mirror and listen to the quiet lapping of the small waves on the beach – until the fireworks go off! Fireworks seem a big thing here – most nights there are extremely loud bangs every so often – they are the loudest fireworks I have ever heard – and as people consume more beer as the evening wears on, the local guys on the beach are able to sell even more, so the bangs get more frequent… I have a feeling that tonight I will hear rather a lot! But if one goes astray and lands on you, you can always nip into the foam party (every Mon and Fri) at the Bauhaus bar on the main street, I’m sure that would sort you out!
“In the ancient days, the moon and the sun were worshipped as harbingers of things to come. This veneration increased during a full moon. Celebrations were held to mark its occurrence. Wine flowed endlessly. Virgins were sometimes sacrificed to appease the gods. There was dancing accompanied by music emanating from primitive instruments.”
From what I can hear the wine (beer), music and dancing are still happening but not sure about virgin sacrifices. But if I was a true traveller, I would have got the ferry to Kao Phangan with the 20,000 or so other people who go there each month for the party. I happily made do with a glass of wine at the beach – the sea has returned to the benign thing it should be and with not a cloud in the sky it was peaceful to look out at the reflection of the full moon in the calm, ink blue sea like it was in a mirror and listen to the quiet lapping of the small waves on the beach – until the fireworks go off! Fireworks seem a big thing here – most nights there are extremely loud bangs every so often – they are the loudest fireworks I have ever heard – and as people consume more beer as the evening wears on, the local guys on the beach are able to sell even more, so the bangs get more frequent… I have a feeling that tonight I will hear rather a lot! But if one goes astray and lands on you, you can always nip into the foam party (every Mon and Fri) at the Bauhaus bar on the main street, I’m sure that would sort you out!
