Festive holiday in Laos:

Pi Mai Lao (Laos New Year)

Date: 14 - 16 April

Pi Mai Lao, held during the Lao New Year, is one of the most important dates in the Lao calendar. As well as being a truly joyous time, Pimai Lao has become synonymous with the celebration of Lao identity, of family bonds, and an opportunity to reflect on the year ahead.

April 13th, the last day of the year, is a day of renewal, symbolized by water. Buddha images are washed, and both temples and homes are tidied. The young pour water on their elders’ hands, asking for blessings in the coming year.

Boat Racing Festival

Date: 29 August

 Location: Luang Prabang, Laos

In Luang Prabang, the Boun Suang Heua, “Boat Racing Festival,” is held in August on Khao Padapdin. In Vientiane, boats head out just after ‘Buddhist Lent’ ends. Traditional racing boats are carved from a single tree, can hold up to 50 rowers, and are only rowed annually for the race. Several days before the race, the boats are cleaned and presented with offerings, since the boats are considered sacred.

That Luang Festival

Date: 09 - 11 November

Location: Vientiane, Laos

The That Luang religious festival lasts three days, starting with the wax castle procession at Wat Si Meuang and ending with a procession around That Luang, “The Grand Stupa”, in Vientiane: sanctuary to the Lord Buddah’s hair and bosom bone. Thousands of monks and tens of thousands of pilgrims come from all over the country – and even from Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam – to attend the festival.

On the next day, a more elaborate procession brings more wax castles through the Eastern Gate of the That Luang cloister, carried three times around the Grand Stupa, and offered to the shrine.