The Best of Cambodia & Laos

194
PLANNING YOUR TRIP TO LAOS
10
LAOS CALENDAR OF EVENTS
wild and happy ceremony with music,
dancing, performances, and processions.
Mid-May.
Boun Visakha Bousa. This festival celebrates
the birth, enlightenment, and
death of the Lord Buddha. It is held on
the 15th day of the sixth lunar month.
Candlelit processions take place in the
evening. Late May.
JUNE
Children’s Day. Lao people adore kids
and this is a day to remember the little
ones. June 1.
JULY
Boun Khao Phansa. At local temples,
worshipers in brightly colored silks greet
the dawn on Buddhist Lent by offering
gifts to the monks and pouring water
into the ground as a gesture of offering
to their ancestors. Lent begins in July
and lasts 3 months. Monks are required
to stay within their wat during this time,
to meditate and focus on dharma studies.
Lao men are traditionally ordained as
monks during this time. Mid-July.
AUGUST
Day of the Free Laos (Lao Issara). A
celebration of the Issara, the freedom
fighters who gained victory in Laos in
the 1970s. August 13.
Haw Khao Padap Din. During this
festival, respect is paid to the dead. Late
August or early September.
SEPTEMBER
Boun Khao Salak. At this time, Lao
people make offerings to the monks.
These include practical items such as
books, pens, sugar, and coffee. Laypeople
also give wax flower candles to the monks
in order to gain merit. Mid-September.
OCTOBER/NOVEMBER
Day of Liberation. This is the day the
long war ended in Laos in 1975 and the
Pathet Lao achieved victory. October 12.
Bun Ork Phansa. Buddhist Lent and
the rainy season both end in this joyous
holiday, and monks are liberated to perform
their normal community duties. It
is celebrated with boat races (see below)
and carnivals. In the evening of Van Ork
Phansa, a beautiful ceremony is held
throughout the country in which people
launch small, candlelit banana-leaf (heua
fai) floats on the rivers, decorated with
offerings of incense and small amounts
of money to bring luck and prosperity.
Mid-October.
Dragon Boat Races (Bun Song Hua).
Held at different times in late summer
and early fall in every riverside town,
these races celebrate the end of Buddhist
Lent. Teams of 50 paddle longboats
in a long sprint, and winners
parade through town. The Vientiane
Boat Race Festival (Vientiane and
Savannakhet) is held the second weekend
in October. The Luang Prabang
Boat Races are held in early September
along the Nam Kan, with a major market
day preceding the races and festivities
throughout the night on race day.
That Luang Festival (Boun That
Louang). This major Buddhist fete draws
the faithful countrywide and from
nearby Thailand to the sacred That
Luang Stupa in Vientiane. Before dawn,
thousands join in a ceremonial offering
and group prayer, followed by a procession.
For days afterward, a combined
trade fair and carnival offers handicrafts,
flowers, games, concerts, and dance
shows. Full moon in early November.
Hmong New Year. Although this is not a
national holiday, it is celebrated among
this northern hill tribe. End of November/beginning
of December, in the north.
DECEMBER
Lao National Day. The entire country
celebrates this public holiday, commemorating
the establishment of the Lao People’s
Democratic Republic in 1975. In
Vientiane, you’ll find parades and dancing
at That Luang temple. December 2.