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 BOKEO
28TH DECEMBER
- 5TH JANUARY - AKHA AND LAHU
NEW YEAR
28TH
DECEMBER – 5TH JANUAR – HMONG NEW YEAR
28TH
DECEMBER – 5TH JANUARY – LAN AND YAO NEW YEAR
28TH
DECEMBER – 5TH JANUARY – PANNA AND TAI NEUA NEW YEAR
“SPIRITS OF THE NEW
RICE FESTIVAL “ KHMU AND MON –KHMER SPEAKING ETHNIC GROUPS
25TH
FEBRUARY – 10TH KAPOK FLOWER FESTIVAL ( BOUN DOK NGIEW)
VENUE : TON PEUNG DISTRICT
A Major event in Bokeo province, festivities are
concentrated around Don Sao Island upriver in Ton Peung district. The festival
incorporates market fairs , parties , dancing and a local beauty pageant.
25TH
FEBRUARY BOUN MAKHA BOUSA DAY
This festival is held on the full moon to commemorate the
speech given by the Lord Buddha to 1250 enlightened monks that gathered
spontaneously without prior notice. In the evening, the faithful visit local
temples and walk around the vat there times with candles in a ceremony known as
vien tian. Here in Bokeo, this is a special festival and late in the evening,
the locals build large bonfires at the temples.
25th
FEBRUARY BOUN KHAO CHI
A ceremony associated with Maka Bousa, this is a special
offering of sticky rice , coated with eggs and roasted , for the monks.
Deceased ancestors are called to come and receive alms at the temple.
14th – 16
APRIL LAO NEW YEAR “ BOUN PI MAI LAO”
The Boun Pimai New Year Festival , beginning mid April ,
lasts for 3 days . Held before the onset of the rainy seasons , it recognizes
the important of water in people’s lives . It’s also a purification festival
during which Buddha images in the household and the temples are ritually
cleaned with sacred water. The water from cleaning ceremonies is then poured or
splashed by people on to each other to bring them luck for the upcoming year.
25th – 30th
APRIL THE ROCKET FESTIVAL “ BOUN BANG FAI”
Rocket festival or Boun Bang Fai , is held in mid in April ,
just before the wet season. The celebration includes Lao street dancing ,
music, drinking .water fights , as well as rocket firing. These rockets are
fired to tempt gods to bring rain for the rice fields.
24TH MAY
BOUN VISAKHA BOUSA ( VISAKABUSA DAY)
This festival celebrates the birth, enlightenment and death
of the Lord Buddha. It is held on 15th day of the sixth lunar month. Beautiful candlelit
processions take place in the evening.
10th -15th
JUNE “ VOR SALEE FESTIVAL” LAHU ETHNIC
GROUP
22ND JULY
BOUN KHAO PHANSA (BUDDHIST LENT)
This is the beginning of the 3 month long Buddhist Lent. All
monks stop travelling to stay at the temple for prayer and meditation. It is
also a time for the ordination of men entering monkhood.
4th
SEPTEMBER BOUN KHAO PADAP DIN ( RICE GROWING FESTIVAL DAY)
This ceremony is an offering to the Ancestor Spirits .It is
a tradition that this time of the year those spirits are believed to have been
released from the “ plain of hell” to receive offerings by is followed, 15 days later, by Boun Haw
Khao Salark, when offerings are made to the Ancestors’ spirit on their last day
before returning to the afterlife and the day they are able to take the
offerings and prayers with them.
19TH SEPTEMBER BOUN KHAO SALAK ( ANCESTOR FESTIVAL DAY)
Offerings including daily necessities, such as books, pens ,
sugar and coffee are made to specific monks based on a lottery system.
Laypeople also give beautiful wax flower candles to the monks to gain merit.
19th
OCTOBER BOUN ORK PHANSA ( END OF BUDDHIST LENT)
VENUE : MEUANG XAY , MEUANG LA DISTRICT
Held on the full moon, which marks the end of the rainy
season, monks who were ordained during the 3 month lent period leave the vat to
reunite with their families. In a charming ceremony during the evening of Van
Ork Pansa, small banana leaf boats called heua fai are launched on rivers with
offerings of incense , candles and small amounts of money to bring luck and
prosperity.
25th -30th
SEPTEMBER “ SWIDDEN RICE FIELD FESTIVAL” PERFORMED BY THE LAHU ETHNIC GROUP
BEFORE THE HARVEST .