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 LUANG PRABANG
25TH
FEBRUARY BOUN KHAO CHI ( MAKHA BOUCHA 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.
MARCH , BOUN PHA VET ( VESANDON CHADOK FEST IVAL)
A ceremony for offering donations in order to have one’s future read from a
piece of paper drawn during the 3 day and 3 night festival.
14TH -16TH APRIL LAO NEW YEAR “ BOUN
PI MAI”
VENUE : LUANG PRABANG TOWN
Boun Pimai New Year festival, begins in mid April and lasts
for 3 days. Held before the onset of the rainy seasons, it recognize the
importance of water in peoples’ lives . It also a purification festival during
which the Buddha images in the household and the temples are ritually cleaned
with sacred water. The Prabang image is moved out of the national museum during
the festival to be purified in the ground of Vat Mai. People then pour and
splash each other with the water from cleaning ceremonies bring them luck for
the coming year. The most elaborate New Years festival rites in the Lao PDR are
held in Luang Prabang with processions of the legendary guardian spirit of
town. Traditionally, Boun Pi Mai also served to reaffirm Lao kingship.
25th MAY -15TH JUNE ROCKET FESTIVAL “
BOUN BANG FAI”
This festival is a rain making and Fertility festival. Held
just before the rainy season, it is a wild and happy ceremony, involving music,
dance and street processions culminating in the firing of rockets. Rockets are fired to tempt
the gods to produce rain needed for rice cultivation; they are also fired to
send the naga from the river into the
rice field in order to attract rain. This festival is held in Muang Nan
District.
24th MAY BOUN VISAKHA BOUCHA DAY
This festival is held during the sixth full moon of the
lunar calendar for the Buddha. Candlelight processions are held in temples to
mark the birth date of the Buddha.
22nd JULY ( OR THE EIGHT LUNAR MONTH OF BUDDHIST
CALENDAR
BOUN ASALAHABOUCHA AND BOUN KHAO PANSA (BUDDHIST LENT)
This marks the beginning of the Buddhist Lent. During the
next 3 month period, monks spend most of their time in prayer and meditations
are restricted from spending nights in temples other than their own.
4th SEPTEMBER BOAT RACING FESTIVAL AND BOUN KHAO
PADAB DIN
VENUE : LUANG PRABANG TOWN
Held on the full moon. During this festival is held during
the ninth Buddhist lunar month and is an important part of traditional
agriculture cycle. The festival pays tribute to the naga, (mythical snake water
deities) with the intention of drawing the naga from the flooded rice fields
back into the river. This festival also commemorates the end of the rainy
season and brings luck for an abundant harvest; it is also includes boat racing
on the Nam Khan River.
19 SEPTEMBER BOUN KHAO SALAK (ANCESTOR FESTIVAL DAY)
In this festival, offerings are made for dead ancestors to
obtain merit. Popular and exciting longboat racing competitions are held to
celebrate the river. This festival is held during the tenth full moon of lunar
calendar.
19th
OCTOBER BOUN LAI HEUA FAI
A festival for the phanga naga, it is held on order to bring
good luck. Each village makes and decorates a boat. These boats are then
paraded through the town and night are launched on the river and ceremoniously
set on fire as offerings to spirits .This festival involves floating the ritual
flowers onto the river , to send off bad
luck and give thanks to the water spirits. On holding boat races , people
ritually reclaim the land from the naga, chasing them out from fields and
streams and back into Mekong River.
