Visitez Luang Prabang, et le reste du Laos

Pirogue racings finals

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T02:07:34Z

The day before the end of the Buddhist lent begins the 2-day final boat races of the province.

First day, in Ban Xieng Mene (crossing the Mekong River in Luang Prabang with the ferry), female final.
Second day (Ock Phansa day), in Ban Xieng Ngeun (30km south of Luang Prabang, through the N°13), male final. The street there is flanked by many makeshift stalls made of bamboo and covered with plastic awning. A choice of Chinese toys and clothes, Beerlao, snacks, and a pile of other things are sold there.

Money games which are normally forbidden, except of course, the National Lottery, are tolerated on the day of the Xieng Ngeun festival, to the Lao's great delight, as they are very keen on games of money and luck.

A sort of exhilaration reigns over the village which is normally so quiet and which is suddenly invaded by hundreds of people who have come to drink and have fun !

Gradually everybody gather themselves on the other side of the river, thronging around the finishing line. That's where the cheering is the loudest, its also where you can find the table with all the local VIP's.

16 boats, each composed of a team of 30+ people will affront each other from mid-morning until the evening if need be. They nearly all come from Luang Prabang.

A few hand made rockets, made with 5m long bamboos, are set off now and again, with more or less success ...

NB: The day next, it's the final in Vientiane.

The village celebration

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T02:00:28Z

Each year in June, on different dates for each "village" (we could even say each district of Luang Prabang), village celebrations gather together all the inhabitants. The tradition calls for the bonzes to hold a white thread all around the village while chanting to ask the spirits for good luck. Good luck so as to drive away evil spirits, to protect the village, its houses and inhabitants.

At the end of the afternoon, round about 4 o'clock, carpets are laid out in the middle of the village's main street. Offerings are set out on the ground around the bonzes and a litany starts which will last an hour.

The wax from candles burnt for an hour during the ceremony, falls into a bucket of water where a few plants from the village float. This water, which has been baptised by the wax, will be sprinkled on the inhabitants and the passers-by to whom one wishes luck and protection.

Elephant procession

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T01:44:35Z

This parade took place on the morning of the 2nd of March 2008, but there are processions like this one every year, usually on the occasion of the celebration of the anniversary of Luang Prabang's inscription on the World heritage list other important events (elephant caravan of 2015)

Some domestic elephants were gathered in the centre of Luang Prabang to be the centre of an event organised by the town. After the traditional Thak Bat (the ceremony of offerings to the bonzes of the pagodas), the procession gets ready to start the parade around 8 o'clock. On that morning, Laotians and visitors were crowded on the pavements earlier than usual.

Hundreds of participants, organised by association or by ethnical groups opened the ball which is closed by the elephants, clothed for the event in special festive clothes : local weaving, the Lao flag.

The elephant drivers will have great difficulty in controlling these huge animals, because of the number of bananas and sugar cane given to them by the crowds. Its a very difficult job to control a tribe of elephants in the middle of a happy crowd, when they are not used to being so close to humans.

An hour later, everybody arrives at the Xieng Thong Pagoda, at the end of the peninsular, to listen to the long official speeches, proud to show the golden medal commissioned by UNESCO, for the 3rd consecutive time.

Pimay - The Lao New Year

Benolaos — 2012-06-19T01:31:13Z

The 5th Lunar month of the Buddhist calendar is in April, when there are the New Year festivities, during which, there is the water festival. This lasts 3 days, the last day of the year, the neutral day, and the first day of the next year. During this period, many flowers have opened, especially the small Lao orchids, which normally flower, for just one week, during Pimay !

During these 3 days of festivities, everybody throws water at each other. Historically, only women had the right to throw water on men, but what used to be a tradition and a symbol, has become a sort of huge carnival. The Laos (and the Thais) use plenty of pieces of coal, flour and dyes, to mark the participants of this festival.

On the morning of the first day is the huge market which assembles all the small tradesmen of the region who have prepared makeshift shelters. All the inhabitants of the Province of Luang Prabang are there. The town is jubilant.

Pimay is the opportunity to go to an island, formed by the Mekong which is very low at this time of the year. There its festival time. The Laotians build sandcastles to hold their wishes for the new year. They enjoy bathing themselves in the Mekong, they wash themselves there, which signifies that mistakes are behind them and that good luck and protection are requested for the coming year.

Phra Bang

Benolaos — 2012-06-16T10:06:08Z

The Phra Bang (also written Phrabang, and which literally means "delicate Buddha") is the mystical national emblem of this country. It is a statue 83cm high, covered in gold leaf.

According to the legend, this statue was made in Sri Lanka (Ceylon) between the 1st and the 9th century. It belonged for a long time to the Realm of Angkor before being given to Prince Fa Ngum, after the creation of the Realm of a Million Elephants and a White Parasol. It arrived in Luang Prabang in 1359, and so the town was renamed.

The Phra Bang is considered as a symbol of the right to rule Laos. Only a pure and true government may keep this sacred image. Its story, like that of Laos is tumultuous.

in 1778, the Siamese (the Thai of today) invaded Luang Prabang, seized the statue and took it to Bangkok.
in 1782, the statue returned to Luang Prabang, after a series of unfortunate events which they attributed to the absence of their palladium.
in 1828, the Siamese again took the statue back to Bangkok
in 1867, during a change of government, the sacred statue went back to Luang Prabang.
since 2006, the Phra Bang is in one of the rooms of the Royal Palace (which also does the job as a museum) before being taken at a later date, to a special pavilion which is still being constructed.

Each year, on the 3rd day of the Lao New Year, the Pha Bang takes its place in the courtyard of the Wat Maï Temple to be shown to the population who, in a sort of procession, purifie it by giving it water.