Feb
28
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Boun Khoun Khao or Khoun Lan (Rice Ceremony) - March
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This is a
harvest festival held at Songkhon District in Savannakhet Province.
“Basi” ceremony is performed in order to give thanks to the land .
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Feb
28
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Wat Phou Festival in Champasack Province - 21 February 2008
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This festival is held during the third full moon of the lunar calendar
on the grounds of the enchanting pre-Angkorian Wat Phou ruins in
Champasack. Festivities include elephant races, buffalo fights, cock
fighting, traditional Lao music and dance performances. To coincide with
the festival, a trade fair is also held to showcase products
originating from southern Laos, Thailand, Cambodia and Viet Nam.
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Feb
28
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Boun Bang Fai (Rocket Festival) in May
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Feb
28
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13-15 April 2008 “Boun Pi Mai” Lao’s New Year
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Lao New Year is celebrated at the same time each year (April 14-16). This year, the 16th is the first day of the New Year.
On the 13th, Buddha images are taken out of the temples to be cleansed
with scented water by devotees, and placed on special temporary altars
within the compounds of “wats” (temples).
Devotees gather the scented water falling off the images, to take home
and use it to pour on friends and relatives, as an act of cleansing and
purification before entering the New Year. On the evening of the 15th,
the images are returned to their proper shriners within the temples.
Boun Pi Mai is a time for much joyous celebration, with good deeds and prayers in anticipation the New Year.
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Aug
02
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Take part in That Inhang Festival to get experience
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This festival wil be held on the grounds of the splendid that Inhang Stupa which is located just outside the city of Savannakhet. An international trade fair will include exhibitions of tourism products from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The fair will also include the performance of Traditional Lao music and dance, as well as a sports competition featuring football, boxing, tennis and local traditions, including a druming competition.
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Feb
28
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Boun Pha Vet - March
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Feb
28
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That Ing Hang Festival 18 - 24 December 2007, Savannakhet Province
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- Celebrate 1 year anniversary of the International friendship bridge II.
- Lao - Vietnam - Thai trade fair exhibition.
- Watch the performance show from Middle provincial of Laos, Vietnam and Thailand.
- Participate the Buddhism activity in That Ing Hang Stupa.
- Enjoy the traditional sport activity from local residents and neighboring country.
- Test traditional food festival from local resident.
- Participate the workshop in tourism development on the East-West Economic Corridor.
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Feb
28
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Boun Khao Chi (Makhaboucha)
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A ceremony is
held at the “Wat” (temple) in the morning, when a special “bread made of
sticky rice” is offered. This festival is held during the third full
moon of the lunar calendar.
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Feb
28
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Boun Khao Salak (Rice) 14 September 2008
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Boat Racing Festival in Khammouane Province
This is held on the Sebangfai River. At the same
occasion a trade fair of agricultural products, local handicrafts,
Traditional Lao music and dance performance are organized. In this
festival, citizens donate offerings to dead ancestors to gain merit.
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Feb
28
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That Luang Festival and Trade Fair in Vientiane Capital - 24 November 2008
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Feb
28
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Boun Ok Phansa and Boat Racing Festival - 14 October 2008
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Boun Khathin
This festival begins immediately after the last day of Lent, and
lasts until the next full moon. During the one month period, devotes of
the Buddhist faith help the monks to carry out their religious practice
by making offerings of all their 9 requisites and other useful items .
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Jul
14
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The legend of the rocket festival in Laos
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In anticipation of the rainy season, Lao people hold a festival to encourage the heavens to open up and deliver rainfall in abundance, so they can be certain of a good rice harvest.
The festival centres around the launch of home-made rockets into the sky to prompt the spirits to send fertility down to Earth.
Rockets are made from pvc piping, which is stronger than bamboo.
At this time of the year, smoke trails from rockets can frequently be seen in the skies, especially in rural areas.
After Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao), people throughout the country begin preparing for Boun Bangfai, otherwise known as the Rocket Festival. This longstanding tradition has been practised for centuries, long enough for people to develop ever larger and more powerful rockets. There are rockets so powerful that a legend revolves around one particularly far-reaching missile in Xieng Khuang province.
Locals believe that a king named Khoun Cheuang built rice wine jars and rockets to celebrate victory over his enemies. This was considered to be the first rocket festival ever held in Laos. Now the stone jars and rocket platform have been turned into tourist attractions, bringing visitors to Xieng Khuang province.
The legend describes rockets of all sizes, but one novice monk was assigned to launch the biggest rocket.
Struggling to ignite the missile, the novice was told he must launch it before he could join other monks who had already started on their journey to Vientiane province. In desperation the novice finally lit the rocket and flew off astride it, propelled southwards over a distance of several hundred kilometres.
It is also believed that the Phuan ethnic group used to hold rocket festivals on mountaintops to seek good fortune from the gods. They believed that wherever the biggest rocket landed the soil would be the most fertile for growing crops.
The word rocket initially brings a weapon to mind, but festival rockets are merely large bottle rockets.
The rockets come in various sizes. The smaller ones are called Bangfai Noi, meaning small rocket. Larger ones are designated by a number such as 10,000 (Meun); 100,000 (Saen); and 1,000,000 (Lan), referring to the largest missiles built.
Even though parts of the legend are unexplained, the festival remains widespread throughout Laos.
Now the ancient launch platform on Koud Mountain in Xieng Khuang province is being renovated in preparation for the biggest festival ever held in the province. The idea is to attract visitors and popularise the legend behind the festival.
There is a fair amount of raucous activity at these festivals and plenty of startling sights. Traditions include cross-dressing and even cross-generation costumes. People dance around the launch platform to provoke the gods into sending lightning and thunder.
Folklore also provides a clue about how people in ancient times made their rockets.
A great deal of work goes into assembling a missile and accurate calculations are needed to ensure that the gunpowder packed inside results in the highest trajectory.
Components and materials used in making the black gunpowder that fires the rockets are sourced naturally. Rocket makers collect materials from the forest and along the streets. They then buy saltpetre and sulphur, mixing it with charcoal.
In the olden days, bamboo tubes were used as rocket shells but now the ingredients are enclosed in pvc piping, making them less dangerous. A jack is then used to pack the ingredients into the cylinder, rather than simply pressing it in by hand.
This will also ensure the rocket reaches the highest point possible.
The last step is to decorate the rocket. Colourful and elaborate artwork is painted on, as the proud rocket makers vie to produce the most spectacular creation among their peers.
Finally the rocket is ready to go. At times a rocket can fail to take off, or explodes on the launch platform. In good fun, the person responsible for this very public failure will be unceremoniously tossed into the nearest patch of mud.
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Feb
28
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Hmong New Year in Oudomxay, Xieng Khouang, Luang Prabang and Vientiane Province (between mid December until January)
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Jul
03
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That Inhang Festival in Savannakhet Province
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This festival wil be held on the grounds of the splendid that Inhang Stupa which is located just outside the city of Savannakhet. An international trade fair will include exhibitions of tourism products from Laos, Thailand and Vietnam. The fair will also include the performance of Traditional Lao music and dance, as well as a sports competition featuring football, boxing, tennis and local traditions, including a druming competition.
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Feb
28
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Sikhottabong Festival in Khammouane Province - 21 February 2008
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This
traditional religious festival is held at Sikhottabong Stupa, located
about 8 kilometers to the South of Thakhek town. The stupa was built
between the 9th and 10th Century by King Nantahsena and was restored to
its original grandeur during the 1950’s.
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Aug
04
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Discover Boun PimaBoun - New year festival
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Boun PimaBoun begins in mid -April and last three days. Held before the onset of the rainy season, 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 Prabang image is moved out of the national museum during the festival to be purified in the ground of Vat Mai. The water from cleaning ceremonies is then poured or splashed by people on to each other to clean them luck for the coming year. The most elaborate New year festival rites in 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.
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Feb
28
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Boun Khao Padabdin (Rice) and Boat Racing Festival in Luang Prabang 30 August 2007At the Khao Padabdin ceremony day, people visit local temples to make offerings to dead ancestors as well as to share merit-making. This festival includes boat racing on the Nam Khan River and a trade fair in Luang Prabang World Heritage town.
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At the Khao
Padabdin ceremony day, people visit local temples to make offerings to
dead ancestors as well as to share merit-making. This festival includes
boat racing on the Nam Khan River and a trade fair in Luang Prabang
World Heritage town.
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Jul
04
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Descover the History of Pimai Lao(“ Lao New Year Celebration”)
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In addition there is an old saying that before Buddhism, there was the son of a rich peasant called Thammabane (Thammaphala) he was very clever boy and understood the animals and birds languages, at the beginning he taught Thamma and knowledge to people at the time all the people respected him. Phayakabinlaphom the god of the sky at the wisest when he heard that Thammabane is powerful boy he wanted to make a competition about the knowledge, he came down to the world and set up 3 questions for Thammabane to answer the bid word if Thammabane could reply Kabinlaphom head will be cut by Thammabane, the three questions are, the first question where is the tint (bright and lustrous) of the body in the morning ?, the second question where is the tint (bright and lustrous) of the body in the afternoon ?, the third question where is the tint (bright and lustrous) of the body in the evening ?. Thammabane could not reply immediately but he proposed to the postpone, the date for answer within seven days. He thought and thought but nothing could come out, then three days passed. He went out for a long distance, he was very tired and slept under a big tree on its branches the big eagles talked in the bird language and female asked ( what kind of food will be for me tomorrow?, the male replied oh ! My dear we are going to have Thammabane meat the female asked why? The male told her that Thammabane could be not answering Kabinlaphom questions and he would be killed, the female repeated the question as written above.
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