Wednesday 12 February 2025

The Wat Phu Festival takes place every year, on the 15th day of the increasing moon of the 3rd month (in January-February) and coincides with the Makha Busa Buddhist Festival. The believers come from a great distance to attend the ceremony ; some of them even come from Thailand and Cambodia; it is also the opportunity for surrounding plain and mountain populations to meet each other, maintaining these relations since time put off.

Processions, recitals, and chants take place during the three days festival. Boats racing (dugouts), game "catch-ducks"; volleyball and petanque competitions are also organized. Sometimes, elephant procession, buffalo and cock fights, and dances are also showed. The local authorities want to maintain some traditions and to preserve the sacred sense of the place. In the evening, various attractions as well as some concerts are used to occur as an usual profane aspect. See an example of the attractions for 2011 on the file below...

The days of the full moon is called Van Sin Ngiae 15 kham, holiday especially for all manual workers and those whose job can disturb by noise. These days we will avoid visiting artisan villages if we want to observe or participate in traditional activities.

On that day, more locals will join the Morning Alms.
Before participating, we recommend to read the Rules to respect for this unique cultural/religious tradition.

In the morning of the Van Sin Ngiae, the search for bonzes is marked by an influx more massive than usual of faithful. The bonzes themselves are more likely to leave the temple which gives the ritual a special intensity, even more in recent years with the influx of Thai visitors at certain times of the year for some Buddhist festivals.

A ceremony is held at the 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. The festival commemorates the original teachings of Lord Buddha given to over a thousand monks who came spontaneously to hear him preach. The festival is marked by grand parades of candle-bearing worshippers circling their local temples, merit-making, and much religious music and chanting.

On the morning, after morning alms, people meet in the temple to cook local pieces of sticky rice.

This festival is held during the third full moon of the lunar calendar. It happens the same day Wat Phou Festival in Champasak.