Festivals in Laos

Usually, the lao festivals, called « boun » in lao are related to the Buddhistg religion or the agricultural season. Almost all the festival except the lao new year change their date accordingly to the lunar calendar and the place where it is hold. As well, in Laos, it is easy to find some local “boun” and Lao people are always ready to organise a festival for many events such as birth, a wedding, a departure…

• Mid-January: Boun Khun Khao. Yearly festival for rice harvest where locals pay tribute to the land spirit for allowing their crop to grow

• Between late January and mid-February: Vietnamese Tet & Chinese New Year. Due to an important vietnamese community, this events is celebrated mainly in Vientiane, Savannakhet, Pakse by different parties with fireworks. Please note that at this period, many chinese and vietnamese running businesses are closed

• February: Makha Busa or Full Moon festival. This event aims to commemorate Buddha doing a speech to 1250 enlightened followers. Celebrated by prayers and offering ceremonies, the festivals ends by processions around wats, mainly in Vientiane and Wat Phou

• February: Wat Phou Festival hold annually around the famous pre-angkorian temple of Wat Phou in Champassak province. Activities are mainly focused on elephant race and a big fair.

• March: Boun Pha Vet is a festival where the last but one life of Buddhas is recited. It is usually one of the best period for male to enter the monkhood. This celebration is hold at different dates according to the village

• Mid-April: Boun Pimai is the Lao New Year hold on April 14 to 16 and all is closed for this time. Celebrated in the whole country, people clean their house and all their Buddhas images with scented water. Then, they splash themselves with water and sometimes the tourists as well. The festival is particularly interesting in Luang Prabang with an elephant procession and a beauty contest to crown the Princess of Pimai

• May: Boun Visakha Busa aims to remember the birth, the enlightening and the death (parinibbana) of Buddha. Usually the ceremony takes place in the wat and ends in the evening by candlelight processions

• May/June: Boun Bangfai or Rocket Festival. Usually lead at the same time than Bun Visakha Busa, this festival is more pagan and locals get there for eating, dancing listening to music, enjoying friends… The most important activity is the firing of bamboo rockets for calling the rain. You may participate at this festival during one month in different villages

• July: Boun Khao Pansa is the beginning for a three months retreat for monks in only one single monastery. Usually during the year, they can move from one wat to another one except during this period. Bun Khao Pansa is as well the most pertinent time for men to enter the monkhood.

• August/September: For the new moon of the 9th lunar month, Boun Khao Padap Din, people show their respect for the dead and many cremation take place.

• October/November: Boun Ork Pansa is featured by the end of the three months monk retreat in the monasteries. Prayers are chanted in the pagodas and monk receive the equipment for their renunciation life. The event is celebrated by parties along the rivers where people release some banana leaves with offering, candlelights and incense on.

• October/November: The Boat Race Festival or Boun Lay Heua Vai is running at the same period than Bun Ork Pansa (the next day) and the date change accordingly to the villages. In many rivers towns, boat races are held between communities

• November: Boun That Luang is probably one of the most impressive festival in Laos. Settled around the That Luang Stupa in Vientiane, on the first day,there is a procession between the That Luang Stupa and the Wat Simuang by more than one hundred monks (representng all lao wats) who get there in the early morning to collect offering and alms. The festivals ends by fireworks and a fair held nearby. At the same time, you have some ethnic hilltribes festivals hold in northern Laos, and especially in some ethnic minorities village around Muang Sing