Locals shot an awesome double helix spinning rocket into the sky at an annual rainmaking festival in Thailand.

Video shows villagers firing the UFO-like explosive made out of gunpowder and bamboo during the Bun Bai Fang rocket festival in Kalasin province on May 18.

Rocket-maker Thanapol Boonsri, 27, said the homemade rocket, also known as the 'million fireworks rocket', was made out of natural materials like bamboo and sap.

He said: 'I feel proud that the rocket festival is known throughout the world. It is a fun tradition that helps bind our community as we pray for rain.'

Sawaeng Uttarak, mayor of Kutwa Subdistrict Municipality, said that unlike more modern rockets made with PVC, the million fireworks rocket was created through traditional techniques and materials.

He said: 'The municipality recognises the importance of passing on this knowledge to the youth by showing them how rockets were made from bamboo before they evolved into today's rockets, which use larger, longer, and sturdier materials like PVC or metal pipes for better heat resistance.'

Thailand's Rocket Festival or 'Bun Bang Fai' is held annually to honour Phaya Thaen, the Buddhist deity of rainmaking, as farmers and villagers pray for rain for a bountiful harvest.

In Thai, ‘bun' means ‘merit, ' and ‘bang' means bamboo, which is used to make rockets. ‘Fai' means ‘fire' representing gunpowder being stuffed into the rockets.

Locals believe the rockets will reach the clouds and help to stimulate impending monsoon downpours, which last until October or November.