From the Vientiane Times:
The festival draws people to the river and brings the town alive, but it also has a deeper significance and is a tradition that goes back hundreds of years. October 12 marks Ork Phan Sa, which is the end of the wet season and more significantly the end of Buddhist Lent.
On this day, people from all walks of life gather at their local temples to pray, give offerings, make merit, and take part in candlelit processions in the evening.
Hundreds of colourful banana leaf boats decorated with flowers, incense and candles are set adrift on the Mekong, to pay homage to the river spirit which gives life to the many thousands of people who live along its banks. The boats also symbolise the vanquishing of bad luck, bad deeds and disease, and mark a fresh start to the rest of the year.
The following day, on October 13, thousands of people flock to the river. It is a day to eat, drink and be merry. People look forward to the races for weeks beforehand, and the race crews have been training since long before that. The races are far from a picnic, and the crews have to be fit and well prepared. Teams come from all over Laos to take part in what is the most prestigious race in the country. This year more than 25 boats will compete.
On Wednesday night, I went down to the river with some coworkers to enjoy some Lao BBQ and watch the boats floating on the river.
Festival by the river.... with Santa and Doraemon
Boat
Lao BBQ with coworkers
Fatty pork, lean pork, offal, morning glory and cabbage
Fireworks
Me in front of the river at night
It is a bit of a free for all- people lighting off fireworks every which way and slogging through the mud and crowds to get to the river to put their boat in the water.
You can buy anything you could ever want
Ferris wheel
Carnival gamesI joined a dragonboat racing team here in Vientiane. Most people that I tell this to think it is really hilarious and really random and I agree. But it has been a wonderful activity to participate in for the last two months. We met twice a week to practice. In the end, we did not win but we tried hard!
The Story of our boat, Hong Maenha, and our team:
http://laovoices.com/2011/10/12/preparing-for-vientianes-boat-race/
(I am the one in the green tshirt- because I did not yet have a blue team tshirt- and yellow lifejacket- because after my kayaking experience, I am afraid of drowning- near the back on the righthand side of the boat!)
630am breakfast! Gearing up for the race!
Hoards of people
To prove that I was there! With an iced coffee in hand.... some things never change!
Racing Day
Neck in neck!
It was a tiring day!
They told us that after the race we would eat a cow. But since the word for meal or rice in Lao is khao (pronounced "cow"), I did not realize that they would actually be roasting Bessie on the side of the road.
Posts
2 comments:
No offal for me, thank you.
eeeee awesome pics!
Post a Comment