sa bai dee Pimai, Laos

Splashing water in pi mai

Stepping into new year 2554(2011), sharing together with Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Thailand is a big event for celebration. Festivals are called as Bun and hence the new year festival is Bun Pimai. Sa bai dee Pi mai is the way of wishing Happy new year.

The traditional dish of Pi Mai,lao

The celebration starts one week before the New year holidays and continues till next week. Whole of the country celebrates this new year with dousing and drenching each other in water, putting loud music Lao POP, with uncontrolled dance and nonstop lao beer. Eating, drinking, dancing all the day with making sure that everyone is wet. This festival, hence, is also known as water festival or songkarn in Thailand. Songkarn is derived from sanskrit word Samkranta.Festival is believed to be adopted from one Indian Festival.
A laos traditional food Napoon is served on this day. which contains of noodles, some leaves and kind of delecious soup made of fish or pork and spices.

Worshipping Buddha

The house is cleaned and Worship of Buddha is done in the four day of celebration. Main avenue of Pi Mai celebration is Luang Prabhang. First day people wash the Buddha stupa in river water and clean their houses considering the departure of old spirits.Second day of celebration calls for a colorful costume parade by locals. On the third day of celebration people gather on the top of Phu Si mountain to make offerings to monks.
As it is the peak summer season and weather is dry and hot, people like to throw water on each other to cool themselves. The water is perfumed and sometimes whipped cream or foam is also used along with water. They will wish the happiness and prosperity for each other ie sokdee sabaidee pimai. Foreigners are not treated different in this festival hence they should be careful when they are roaming out. The festival with its traditional values is also more like a moment to enjoy and fun.





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