they're dancing, dancing in the street

     The baci I last wrote about, is a formal affair, and the boun’s throughout the country are much less formal. A ‘boun’ is a festival, a temple fair at a wat (Buddhist temple), or any celebration of a public holiday that involves a party. Think of a baci as a time when monks go to a private home with relatives and community members celebrating a life event in someone’s home. Think of a boun as a time when the community members and families go out of their private homes to celebrate an event, usually at a wat, with the monks. The Lao people have many celebrations during the year, the public world into the private (baci), and the private world into the public (boun). And, the Lao people know how to party!

CROSSING THE SUSPENSION BRIDGE TO GET TO THE BAN TA TENG TA BOUN

     The past few months I have been here, I have attended many boun’s. Each village is centered around a temple, and each temple has a boun this time of year. They are planned to be at different times, no two temples having a boun the same day. Reason being, in the town of Champasak, for example, there are eight villages that make up Champasak. Well, each village has their own temple and their own boun, which makes eight boun’s within a few kilometer long street! The temple boun’s I have attended are all quite similar. A small marketplace is set up that sells plastic toys, lao food, and assorted beverages. A stage is set up with a large sound system, and this is the center of entertainment. Either a band, or a keyboard/karaoke machine, is on stage with female dancers. The music is turned up so loud it is distorted beyond recognition (a Lao theme at all events). Many tables and chairs are set up and massive quantities of Beer Lao are consumed by people of all ages. The wacky thing, to me, is that this all takes place within the Buddhist temples walls!

STAGE, BAND, AND DANCERS AT A BOUN

     

     These boun’s are relatively small, attended by the local villagers. Pi Mai Lao, however, is a country-wide event. This is the Lao new year, celebrated on April 14,15,16. The Lao people go back to their original villages to celebrate, and the cities empty of workers. Some guesthouses and restaurants are still open for the foreigners, but most are shut down for a week to celebrate. Yup, officially it is a three day holiday, but it lasts a week. Which makes sense, in that people have to travel to their families home, celebrate the holiday, then return to work, and it takes a week. The cities are quiet, but the villages are not. I went many places to celebrate the Lao new year and each was fun! Each event was similar to the temple parties, a stage with loud music, lots of alcohol being consumed, lao food aplenty, and plastic toys for the children. The new year is an end of the dry season and the beginning of the rainy season. To bring on the rain, water is thrown on people. This sounds fun, and it is, because it is extremely hot and it is refreshing to get wet. However, driving a moto with buckets of water being thrown on you, gets old after a few days. But, it worked this year, because on the evening of the 16^th, the skies opened and it poured rain! The seven month dry season is coming to a close! It is still very hot, but the cooling rains will become more frequent next month.

MY NEIGHBORS WATERING THE PASSING TRAFFIC

     

     My friends in Champasak, the guesthouse owners, follow traditional Lao culture, and explained Pi Mai Lao, in a way I had not ever heard. Traditionally, it is a three day holiday. The first day, the last day of the old year, the Lao people go to their local temple and pour water over the Buddha statues. Also, the Lao people pour water over the heads of the monks. This is done with sacred waters, and signifies the washing away of the last year, and a time for cleansing. The wats are cleaned, with the Lao villagers helping. The second day of the three day celebration, is a day of rest. This is the day between the old and new year, and nothing is done, beyond staying in one’s home with family. The third day is the first day of the new year, and is a time to return to the wat and tie strings around the monks wrists, and to walk through the village and tie strings around the wrists of respected elders. This is the traditional Lao new year celebration and has nothing in common with the way it is now celebrated. The Lao culture is slowly disappearing and I am fortunate to have someone explain the traditional ways of Lao life! Boun’s and baci’s occur during the entire year, the past few months are just an example. The Lao people are ready to celebrate any event, and they do in style!

COOLING OFF IN THE MEKONG RIVER AT THE BAN TA TENG TA BOUN

it doesn't matter what you wear just as long as you are there

     I was invited, and attended my first ‘basi’ the other day. The family that runs my favorite champasak guesthouse, invited me to their grand-daughters first basi. I wasn’t sure what I was getting into, but the family helped me take part in the festivities. I was amazed to find lots of people already present, when I showed up a bit before the event’s beginning. I got so used to things starting long after the stated time, that I was a bit shocked to see lots of people ready to go at 7am! In the center of the room was a ‘phakhoun,’ a tree-shaped structure that is an offering to the spirit world. The phakhoun was full of flowers and pieces of white thread, which were used later in the ceremony.

PHAKHOUN IN MIDDLE OF CEREMONY

     
     The monks arrived and sat along the outer wall, with the guests sitting everywhere else. Everyone was dressed in their finest, women in their best ‘sin’ (traditional lao skirt), and men with their sash (scarf draped around their shirt). An elder monk began the ceremony by chanting blessings in Pali and Lao. At times the audience spoke in reply, but, it was mostly the monks chanting. Everyone had a ‘khan’ with them, and at one point, two candles were lit and placed in their khan. A khan is a silver-colored container used to carry merit-making items. Since I did not have one, or even know of their existence, at that time, the family gave me one to use, filled with merit-making items.

MONKS SHARING FOOD

     
     When the blessings were finished, the guests rose and gave alms to the monks. This involved emptying your khan into each monks bag, some for each monk. The merit-making items included sticky rice, fruit, candy, and money. Merit-making (het boun) is the giving of alms to the monks. In daily life this can be observed at sunrise all over the country, where the local people give rice and food to the monks, as they walk through the village. For this basi, each monk present received something from everyone. Like everything else in Lao society, het boun is done in the company of others, but the merit-making is extremely individualistic. Everyone makes merit by giving alms to the monks. In simple terms, the thought is ‘do good get good, do bad get bad’. Everyone gives to the monks.

GIVING ALMS TO THE MONKS

     
     The guests returned to help the monks bless the child and the parents. At this time, the tying of threads commences. The white thread on the phakhoun, were first tied to the wrists of the baby girl, then the rest of the family. As the threads are tied, a wish is made and the person then ties a thread to another guest. Anybody can exchange wishes and threads with anybody else. The person who is subject of the ceremony, gets the most wishes and threads. The baby girl was covered in tied threads and received many wishes! At this time, the basi was over, but the festivities would continue, with lots of food for everyone. I was seated at the families table, and was honored to be a part of this wonderful experience! I met this family three years ago, they helped me find a house to rent, and have welcomed me into their lives. I am truly blessed!!!

TOP LEFT - FATHER AND MOTHER OF BABY GIRL