We hired a tuk-tuk to take us to a few of Vientiane’s more significant temples today. We chose to go on the second day of Pi Mai Lao (Lao New Year) so that we could observe some festivities, but not totally be in the locals’ way while they pray to Buddha. Sprinkling or washing the Buddha statues with water is an important ritual during Pi Mai Lao. All the temples, including the ones we didn’t visit were very busy. I’m sure it was busier yesterday even though it was raining because on the first day of the new year Lao people go to temples for the Baci (Basi) ceremony.

The ceremony involves the tying of white cotton strings around person’s wrists and the prayer saying or well wishing for the person that the ceremony is intended for. Lao people believe that a human being is a union of thirty-two organs, each has a spirit or Khuan (Lao word for spirit) to protect them. These spirits often wander outside the body causing unbalance of the soul which might lead to an illness. The tying of the white string represents tying of the 32 spirits to the body putting them back in harmony as well as bringing good luck and prosperity.

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The Water Fights Continue

Within a minute on the tuk tuk, people on the truck next to us splashed Kenric. The first temple we visited, Ho Phra Keo (Wat Phra Kaew), is in the city. We were able to stay relatively dry on our way there. It was very nice to see the Lao people perform their Buddha-washing ritual; people bringing buckets with flowers and branches of leaves to be used as manual sprinklers, parents showing their children what to do, and people taking selfies.

Our second stop was Buddha Park (Wat Xieng Khuan). The journey took about an hour via Thadeua Road. The water fights along this main road connecting many smaller villages were brutal. We, including the tuk tuk driver, were completely soaked. The worst was when we were stuck in traffic (relatively speaking) and were just sitting ducks for people from both sides of the road or on trucks nearby. At one point, a lady dumped a whole bucket of ice water on my back. People had their inflatable kiddy pools, barrels of water, beer and food out. When they’re not splashing, they were dancing and/or singing.

An Awesome Day

We must have been dumped on, hosed, shot at, and hit by water balloons at least 80 times. The ones that got me on our way to Buddha Park got Kenric on our way back and vice versa. These people were so freaking proud of themselves; they get so giddy whenever they get you, especially little kids. Everyone was happy to wave back. We are so glad we decided to go to Buddha Park today. The ride along Thadeua Road allowed us a much more intimate look into how the locals celebrate Pi Mai Lao. Even though the water killed my digital camera, today was still an extremely awesome day for us!

Map of Places Visited