| January |
| Bun Pha Wet |
Falling on different dates throughout the month - so that
people can exchange invitations with friends and families
in different villages to join in their celebrations - this
festival is a commemoration of the Jataka, the life story
of Lord Buddha as Prince Vestsantara. The story is recited
in temples throughout the country and this is considered a
particularly auspicious time for ordination as a monk. |
| February |
| Magha Puja |
Held on the night of the full moon, this festival commemorates
the original teachings of Lord Buddha given to over a thousand
monks who came spontaneously to hear him speak. The festival
is marked by grand parades of candle-bearing worshippers circling
their local temples, merit-making, and much religious music
and chanting. |
| Vietnamese Tet & Chinese New Year |
Celebrated in Vientiane, Pakse and Savannakhet by the larger
Vietnamese and Chinese communities, who close their businesses
for several days during this period, this festival combines
visits to temples and merit making with noisy parties, and
hundreds of strings of firecrackers. |
| March |
| Boun Khoun Khao |
A harvest festival celebrated at local temples |
| April |
| Boun Pimai |
Lasting several days in mid-April, this is the celebration
of the Lao New Year and is a combination of merriment and
meditation. Similar to festivals at this time of year in other
Southeast Asian countries - particularly Thailand - Boun Pimai
is celebrated with parades, dancing, singing and enthusiastic
water-throwing. The religious aspects of the festival are
most apparent in Luang Prabang, where water pouring ceremonies
are used to Buddha statues are worshiped with water pouring
ceremonies. Temple compounds are further decorated with small
sand Stupas, offered as merit towards good fortune and health. |
| May |
| Labour Day 1st Ma |
public holiday |
| Visakha Puja |
Chanting, religious instruction, and candlelit processions
highlight this temple festival in celebration of the birth,
enlightenment and death of the Buddha. |
| Boun Bang Fai (rocket festival) |
With its origins in pre-Buddhist rain-invoking ceremonies,
this festival now coincides with the Lao Visakha Puja celebrations.
Parades, songs, dances and partying all lead to an explosive
climax as huge, ornate, homemade bamboo rockets are blessed
and fired into the skies to invite the rains. Rocket-makers
earn both merit and honour if their creations fly high. This
dramatic festival is also celebrated in north east Thailand. |
| June/July |
| Children's Day |
(1st June - public holiday) |
| Khao Phansaa |
Marking the beginning of the three-month Buddhist Lent, which
commences at the full moon in July and continues until the
full moon in October, this is considered a particularly auspicious
time for Lao men to enter the monkhood and is marked by numerous
ordination ceremonies. |
| August |
| Haw Khao Padap Din |
Devoted to remembering and paying respect to the dead, it
is marked by the macabre ceremony of exhuming previously buried
bodies, cleaning the remains, and then cremating them on the
night of the full moon. Relatives then present gifts to the
monks who have chanted on behalf of those who have passed
away. |
| October |
| Awk Phansaa (Awk Watsa) |
Marking the end of the three-month Buddhist Lent on the day
of the full moon. Monks are at last permitted to leave the
temple and are presented with gifts. One particularly beautiful
aspect is Lai Hua Fai. On the eve of Awk Phansaa people gather
at the nearest body of water to release dozens of small banana-leaf
boats decorated with candles, incense and small flowers, in
a celebration similar to the Thai Loy Krathong. |
| Bun Nam (water festival) |
In riverside towns such as Vientiane, Luang Prabang and Savannakhet,
the highly competitive Bun Nam boat races (suang heua) are
held during the same time as Awk Phansaa. Smaller communities
sometimes hold these races on National Day on 2nd December |
| November |
| Boun That Luang |
Though celebrated at many temples around the country, this
festival is traditionally centred at That Luang in Vientiane.
Fairs, beauty contests, music and fireworks take place throughout
the week of the full moon, and end with a candlelight procession
(wien thien) around the temple of That Luang. |
| December |
| Lao National Day (2nd December - public holiday) |
Streets strewn with national flags and banners, processions,
parades, and speeches are the highlights of this celebration
for the victory of the proletariat in 1975. |
| Public
Holidays |
| Jan 1 |
New Year's Day |
| Jan 6 |
Pathet Lao Day |
| Jan 20 |
Army Day |
| Feb 1 |
Chinese New Year |
| Mar 8 |
Chinese New Year |
| Mar 22 |
Day of the People's Party |
| Apr 13-15 |
Lao New Year (Pi Mai) |
| May 1 |
Labour Day |
| May 16 |
Birth of Buddha |
| Jun 1 |
Children's Day |
| Jul 13 |
Khao Pansa (Buddhist Fast begins) |
| Aug 13 |
13 Lao Issara (Day of the Free Laos) |
| Oct 5 |
Bouk ok Pansa (Buddhist Fast ends) |
| Oct 12 |
Day of Liberation |
| Dec 2 |
National Day |
