In Thai villages, lunar eclipses come with audio. The sound
track accompanying the disappearing-reappearing act consists of fireworks, the
banging of pots and pans, and lots of excited giggling.
As Jip’s mom and I sat out in the yard and watched the big
round yellow cookie slowly get nibbled away, we listened to the kids across the
street laughing as their parents tried to explain that “science” was the reason
why the moon looked different tonight.
The kids claimed they knew better. In school they’d been told about the many holidays in December—surely this party must have something to do with one of
them. You couldn’t blame them for connecting the events in the sky to Constitution
Day, or the king’s birthday. It was taking place in prime time, at the same
hour when the royal family news airs on TV. Why else the fireworks?
A salty breeze blew in from the gulf. Eventually lights
switched off in the houses and in the sky. Just the normal night village voices
babbled on until morning.
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