BASICS - The Rough Guide to Laos - page 60

lem, as the days leading up to and immediately following large festivals are equally packed
with celebrations.
Visitors are most likely to encounter the festivals of the Buddhist lowland Lao . On certain
Buddhist holy days, the faithful make merit by walking clockwise around a stupa or a sim
three times while holding offerings of incense, lotus blossoms and candles in a prayer-like
gesture. Visitors are free to take part in this picturesque ritual, called wian thian in Lao, and
may even be encouraged to do so. Hill-tribe festivals are less open to outsider participation.
If you do happen to come across one, watch from a distance and do not interfere unless it is
clear that you are being invited to join in.
BOAT RACES
Lao boat races are rooted in ancient beliefs that predate the arrival of Buddhism in the
country. To this day, many lowland Lao believe the Mekong and other local waterways are
home to naga , serpent-like creatures that leave the river during the rainy season and inhabit
the flooded paddy fields. The boat races, held between October and December, seek to lure
the naga out of the fields and back into the rivers, so that ploughing may begin.
MAJOR FESTIVALS
February The Makkha Busa Buddhist holy day, observed under a full moon in February,
commemorates a legendary sermon given by the Buddha after 1250 of his disciples spon-
taneously congregated around the enlightened one.
April Lao New Year , or pi mai lao , is celebrated all over Laos in mid-April, most stunningly
in Luang Prabang, where the town's namesake Buddha image is ritually bathed.
May During Bun Bang Fai , also known as the rocket festival, crude projectiles are made
from stout bamboo poles stuffed with gunpowder and fired skywards. It's hoped the thun-
derous noise will encourage the spirits to make it rain after months of dry weather.
October Lai Heau Fai , on the full moon in October, is a festival of lights most magically cel-
ebrated in Luang Prabang. In the days leading up to the festival residents build large floats
and festoon them with lights.
November In the days leading up to the full moon, the great That Luang stupa in Vientiane
comes to resemble the centrepiece of a fairground, with street vendors setting up booths in
the open spaces around it. The week-long That Luang Festival then kicks off with a mass
alms-giving to hundreds of monks.
December-January Bun Pha Wet, which commemorates the Jataka tale of the Buddha's
second-to-last incarnation as Pha Wet, or Prince Vessantara, takes place at local monasteries