LAOS EVENTS & FESTIVALS -SAVANNAKHET

LAOS celebrate several annual festivals called " Boun" particularly enjoyable and beautiful aspects of the traditional Lao lifestyle . Most festivals are connected with religion and the yearly rice farming cycle; while the timing of the festivals is calculated according to the Buddhist lunar calendar.

EVENTS & FESTIVALS IN SAVANNAKHET

9^TH – 11^TH FEBRUARY , BOUN PHA THAT PHONH ( “ THAT PHON FESTIVAL”)

This festival is performed for 3 days and 3 nights. There are different exhibitions of traditional goods, sports  events , folk songs, etc. Local people will bring baked rice ball in front of stupa and made alms to the spirits  of people who built this stupa. The number of rice balls will be about 400 pieces in total. Also each family who is producing rice needs to bring raw rice and cooked food trays to monks; the monks make alms to the spirits as well. The raw rice will be around 12 kg and number of trays will reach 166.

25^th FEBRUARY ( OR THE THIRD LUNAR MONTH OF THE BUDDHIST CALENDAR)

BOUN KHAO CHI (MAKHA BOUCH DAY)

A ceremony is held at the “ Vat” ( temple ) in the morning, when special “ bread” made of sticky rice is offered. This festival is held during the third full moon of the lunar calendar.

15^th – 18^th MARCH  BOUN HEUAN HIN ( “HEUAN HIN FESTIVAL”)

The festival is held in Heuan Hin ( “ Stone House”) another important and sacred place dating back to the Khmer Empire . People organize the festival to show their respect to their ancestor. In the morning, there is a Buddhism ceremony where monks do offerings for those that built the building. So many people gather to the place from neighbouring areas and Savannakhet city. People also enjoy shopping for local products. At night, they have a traditional dance called “ lamvong” where men and women make a big circle and dance together until a song is finished.

14^th -16^th APRIL BOUN PI MAI LAO ( “ LAO NEW YEAR FESTIVAL”)

For the Lao New Year, there are festivals in all over Laos. The festival aims to say farewell to the old year and welcome the new year. In Savannakhet province, the biggest festivals are held in the Savannakhet City. One of festival activities celebrating New Year is Nangsangkhan ( Miss Lao New Year). During this, the most beautiful girl will be selected as a Miss Lao New Year. Miss Lao New Year parades around the Savannakhet city on the back of an artificial mock up of an animal. The animal is different every year, based on historical story. Some families organize “ baci” ceremonies and big arches are made by rice plants in order to show respect to the earth., sky and land spirits who facilitate the rice production.  People splash or pour fragrant water on friends and paaser by to wash bad things from their bodies. Also at temples, Buddha statues are brought outside and people come to pour water on the statues. It is said that if people pour water in 9 temples, one is able to get good luck for the year.

27^th APRIL  - 20^th MAY BOUN PHAVET  - ELEPHANT PARADE AND BOUN BANGFAI ( “ ROCKET FESTIVAL”)

BOUNPAVET festival of Kangkok village Champone district includes a traditional dance named “ Sualakhang” performed in circle. Men wear Lao traditional women’s clothes and cosmetic. In the afternoon , people take artificial elephant and horse mock ups around the city. Also in the afternoon, each village prepares rockets and a rocket competition is held. The village that launches its rocket highest in the sky will be awarded the winner. The rocket completion is held to show their appreciation to “ Payathan” , who lives in the paradise and gives people the rains needed for agricultures. The village is about 56 km from Savannakhet City. You can get there by motorbike or car in about 1 hour.

22^nd JULY ( OR THE EIGHT LUNAR MONTH OF BUDDHIST CALENDAR)

BUDDHIST LENT ( BOUN ASALAHA BOUCHA AND BOUN KHAO PANSA)

This marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. During the next 3 month period, monks spend most of their time in prayer and meditation and are restricted from spending nights in temples other than their own.

4^th SEPTEMBER BOUN KHAO PADAB DIN ( RICE GROWING FESTIVAL DAY)

At the Khao Padabdin ceremony day , people visit local temples to make offerings to their dead ancestors as well as to share merit making.

19^th SEPTEMBER BOUN KHAO SALAK ( ANCESTOR FESTIVAL DAY)

This allows for offerings to be made for dead ancestors to obtain merit. Popular and exciting longboat races held to celebrate the river . This festival is held during the tenth full moon of the lunar calendar.

19^th OCTOBER BOUN ORK PHANSA ( END OF BUDDHIST LENT)

On the first day at dawn, donation and offerings are made at temples around the city. In the evening, candlelight processions are held around the temples and hundreds of colourful floats decorated with flowers, incense and candles are set adrift down the river to give thanks to the river spirit.

18^th - 21^st OCTOBER BOUN SUANG HEUA ( “ BOAT RACING FESTIVAL”)

This festival is annually organized to express people’ appreciation to the Mekong River for supporting their life. The ceremonies take place at the banks of Mekong River and in each temple. Xayaphoum temple is the main temple organizing the boat racing.

On the first day, in the early morning, Buddhists gather at each temple to give alms to monks and in return the monks give blessings. Then , in the morning, people organize traditional dances like “Lao Soang “, “ Lao Therng “ and “ Pouthai” . Each group enjoys these dances with different clothes, in different dance styles.

In the evening , people gather again at the temples for candlelight procession. After the parade, some groups prepare “ Lay Huapi” , long boats made by bamboo and banana trees and put them on the river. In the boats, people put cakes , foods , flowers and many coloured candles for decoration. Also some people prepare “ Katthong” , smaller boats made by banana trees  and put candles in them. Then the boat races start. The boats from Thailand and other districts of Savannakhet race each other with the winners continuing on the next day.

3^rd -17^th DECEMBER BOUN PHA THAT ING HANG ( “ ING HANG FESTIVAL”)

The ritual ceremony is annually performed in the That Ing Hang ( “ Ing Hang Stupa “) , one of the most sacred stupa in Southern Laos.It is said there are Buddha born inside the stupa. In December , people organize a festival to Buddha born inside the stupa. In December , people organize a festival to show their respects to Buddhism and to the people who built this stupa. Many people, including the old and young, come to the festival from South and North of Laos as well as from Thailand.

People make offerings of “ Khanmarkbern”, a small green tower like offering goods made by banana leaves and flowers around the stupa. People ask nuns who are around the stupa for blessings. The nuns give blessings to people by tying cotton strings to their wrists. Local people bring forest products like honey and traditional foods as offerings.