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Lao Festivals & Events
Some dates will be changed depending on the lunar calendar.
- 1st January: International New Year.
- January-February: Boun Phavet, commemorates Buddha’s reincarnation.
- February: Boun Makha Bu-Sa (Full moon), Vat Phou festival in South
- 8 March. Women’s Day
- April: Pimai Lao, the Lao New Year from the 13th to the 16th the most interesting accurse in Luang Prabang.
- April-May: Rocket Festival, Boun Bang Fai, to call for rain.
- July - October Boun Khao Phansa. Buddhist lent.
- August-September: Boat racing festival, Luang Prabang.
- October: Boat racing festival, Boun Ok Phansa. Vientiane
- November: That Luang festival, a very colorful festival celebrating the big Sputa.
- 2 December: Lao National Day.
- December: Hmong and Khmu New Year. Mostly in the North.
Boun Kao Phansa. ( 3 Months in Temple )
Celebrating in the beginning of the Buddhist lent. Unusually occur in July – October. Monks must stay in the Temple for 3 Months. This event amalgamates different religious and animist practices: candle processions are organized, mantras are chanted in the temples, and incense is burnt in houses.
Boun Ok Phansa
Boun Ok Phansa. Celebrating the end of the Buddhist lent. This event amalgamates different religious and animist practices: candle processions are organized, mantras are chanted in the temples, and incense is burnt in houses. On the Mekong and other rivers you can see thousands of tiny boats made from banana leaves floating gaily along, decorated with candles, incense and flowers. These boats of light pay homage to the rivers which are sources of prosperity and to the gods who inhabit them. It is in Luang Prabang that the most alluring boats can be seen. This festival occurs on the 15th day of the growing moon, on the 11th month of the lunar calendar.
Boun Thaluang
For Boun Thaluang one week the faithful make aprocession around the great sputa, they carry miniature temples created from the stems of banana trees and decorated with flowers. The festival peaks on the morning of the full moon with the Takbat ceremony where many monks from all over the country receive alms. Over the course of the day a huge crowd gathers around the That Luang stupa. The festival climaxes with a feast and a firework display over the Sputa. The festival is held on the 15th day of the growing moon during the 12th month of the lunar calendar.
Boun Banfai
Takes place after Pimai. Laos becomes a huge launching site sending enough rockets into  orbit to rival Cape Canaveral. Rockets which fail to launch can bring mockery to their owner, but whoever sends his rocket the highest will be considered the winner and most likely will be rewarded by the crowd by being thrown into the nearest river or paddy field! The rocket festival is a call for rain. The rockets fertilize the clouds and bring rain which in turn fills the rivers up and fertilizes the fields. The Boun Bang Fay is probably one of the most enjoyable festival in Laos!
Lao New Year
April 13th-16th. Every year.
This festival mobilizes the entire population of Laos to celebrate the Buddhist New Year. Once again, it is in Luang Prabang where the most colorful and lively celebrations occur. Pimai is combined with the water festival which is believed to cleanse the sins of the previous year. So you are allowed to throw water at your neighbors, friends or family with approval of the Buddha. In Luang Prabang the ritual, which never changes, is celebrated for the Prabang Buddha statue (formerly a gift from the King of Cambodia) which paraded around the streets. A couple of mythical characters, the red faced Pou Gneu, Gna Gneu, lead the march. After the procession the Prabang is placed at Vat May where the people of Luang Prabang come bless the statue by throwing water and lotus petals over it.
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Baci ceremony
Baci is one of the most representative, and most frequent ceremonies in Laos. Whether  great or small the Baci celebration is always sincere, and anyone is welcome. Good health and long life is wished to all its participants. The layman’s term for Baci is “Soukhuan” which means the calling and receiving of the soul. It is believed that the body has 32 parts each with its own wandering soul. During the ceremony the absent souls are asked to return to their physical bodies. This is performed by what is known as a “ Thit” or “Chane” a former monk. ( Mo Phone ) On the day of Soukhuan the people bring a tray called a “Phakuan” on which are banana leaf cones filled with flowers, the “champa” or frangipani flower, which is the emblem of Laos. Also on the tray are: alcohol; eggs; rice cakes; money; candles and cotton thread. When all the guests have arrived the ceremony begins with the lighting of candles and incense after which the “Thit” ( Mo Phone ) communicates with the divinities. Then cotton thread is nodded around the participant’s wrists, like thin white bracelets.
Death ritual and funerals
The westerners often find the death rites of Laos surprising, if not shocking. Instead of  mourning the dearly departed, the Laotians see them off with a celebratory party. This is not due to a feeling of indifference towards the deceased, but to the deep belief that Nirvana awaits him, in accordance with Buddhist teachings. In Laos Nirvana is generally thought of as being a pleasant place where ones wishes are granted. The place where people sit with the departed is called “Heuan di” which literally means “happy house”, where, for seven days, people gather to participate in the “ngan” (festivities) noisily and cheerfully, while monks repeat their prayers tirelessly: “Dead, oh dead pursue your destiny, run to paradise, don’t stay and haunt the house”, to make sure that the shadow of the dead won’t haunt its relatives. The families, through the monk, make offerings of food. It is believed that omitting this ritual will cause the dead to forever wander and its regrets will tie down the soul and prevent it from flying off to the heavens.
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