BUDDHIST NEW YEAR - the very best time to be in SE Asia

SOK DI PI MAI!!! (Happy New Year!)

It’s coming up to Buddhist New Year and it’s an exciting & happy time to be in SE Asia. Most Buddhist festivals are set according to the the moon cycles. But for some reason, Buddhist New Year is set into the Gregorian calendar at April 13th – 15th. It sometimes falls around Easter. Though most Buddhists have never heard of Easter or seen a chocolate easter egg!
The major Buddhist countries & their New Year festivals in SE Asia are Thailand (Songkran), Laos (Sok do pi mai), Cambodia (Chaul Chnam Thmey)  & Myanmar (Thingyan).

For anyone considering the experience of a traditional festival in Asia, Buddhist New Year would undoubtedly & absolutely be the best fun! It is a 3 day festival consisting of water 'splashings' which is seen as a blessing or wishing that person a happy new year. A small pouring of water is done with repect over elders & to monks.  But with everyone else, it's lavished by the litre over you. And over & over again.. The water cleanses away the old year & promises to bring in a new & freshly clean coming year. It’s a concept that l really like & admire and after experiencing it in Laos, I wish we practiced it in the Western world on our new year. Maybe not in the northern hemisphere where it may be snowing. But definitely in the southern hemisphere where we are in the middle of summer on Dec 31st. It would be an awesome New Year's Eve!!

I have spent Pi Mai in Laos several times & thoroughly recommend being in Luang Prabang on this special occasion. Luang Prabang is the old royal capital of Laos & is home to many beautiful & ancient Buddhist temples & monasteries. So the traditional ceremonies can be observed & respected as well as joining in on all the merriment afterwards. In Thailand, it can be madness & sometimes l feel the true festival & its meaning is lost & over-looked amongst the boozy tourist parties. Still good fun but an awesome aspect is missed.



On the first day of the 3 day celebration, there is a fair in the main street of Luang Prabang. Laos people from all around the province, gather there to sell their product & buy something new. It is traditional to buy & wear something new for the new year. A carnival atmosphere resonates with music & excited children holding balloons painted with lucky Asian symbols and feasting on special new year's only treats. A procession of monks & characters from mythology are followed to the Wat Xieng Thong.
Prayers are offered with flowers & incense. Ancient ceremonies are revered & honoured. It is such a pleasure & a privilege to witness & feel a part of it. The Laos people so happy & proud to explain their traditions & unique culture.

The afternoon is then filled with much merriment, bottles of Beer Laos and buckets of water. The respectful splashings of the morning, quickly mutate into full on water-battles with pump-action water pistols, buckets & hoses. It is child-like & joyful and we gigled like children as we bombarded the enemy (who ever was drinking at an opposing bar or happened past). Counter attack is expected & inevitable as we tried to reload our weapon of choice. Water pressure can be minimal at the best of times so during Pi Mai it's exacerbated by demand. Everyone is wet through & yet the laughter continues every time you can 'bless' someone again with another dowsing. It is pure child-like laughter. And it continues for 3 days without ever tiring of the constant blessings of drenchings. It is cool relief from the heat of the day & the end of the dry season.

Day 2 is a non day in their tradition. It does not belong to the old year nor the new. A party is held on the island that has formed in the shallowness of the  Mekong River after the dry season. Families build stupas in the sand, like sand castles, to assure a prosperous coming year, decorating them with flowers & flags. Animals such as birds & fish are freed to gain merit.
 I freed 2 fish into the Mekong & threw in a gold coin to assure my return to my favourite country.
Homes are spring-cleaned & cleansed with water & flowers. And another procession to the temple to wash the statues of the Buddha in fragrant petalled water.

More consumption of Beer Laos,  the favourite celebratery drink in Laos or at any time really. Because every day is worth celebrating in Laos. More blessing of everyone you encounter before they bless you, and more laughter & merriment. The evenings quieten down and a fabulous feast is enjoyed with new friends while watching the sunset over the magnificent Mekong River. The river, one of the largest in the world, has travelled down from the Himalayas & will continue its exceptional journey to the delta in Vietnam & out into the South China Sea.

Day 3 continues with more ceremonies at the temple and if you're lucky, a 'baci ceremony' in the home of a Laos friend. The family gathers around a table, sitting on the floor. Food or money is offered as a gift. The elder of the family will chant & pray while tying a string bracelet to your wrist, wishing you safe return to your country & family. The string cannot be removed and must naturally fall away. It is very moving and a special honour, a further step into the indoctrination of the lovely Laos lifestyle. You will not leave the same.
More Beer Laos, more blessings, more laughter.

One day, my Aussie friend and I noticed that the monks were not allowed to join in the street festivities in the afternoon. We bought some small water pistols, filled them and  took them to one of the monastries where some young monks were sitting under a tree. Not having a common language between us, they indicated to put the water pistols down. Monks are not permitted to accept anything directly from a woman. We were not sure of their response or if we had crossed an unknown line. But they quickly grabbed them and turned them on us with hearty joy. It was at such an odds with the usual quiet & calm of their demeanour. We went to buy some more & was water-bombed by some very young monks sitting high on a monastery wall. It was so funny! "Right we'll get you!!" Speaking to an elder monk later, he explained that they are only children and of course it was fine for them to behave like children.

My reccommendation is to visit Luang Prabang for Buddhist New Year. Be prepared to get wet. Dont carry anything of value like passports.  Do not expect sanctuary by begging or sincerely explaining that you absolutely do not want a bucket of water tipped over you. Remember, it's a blessing.  Just dont tip over anyone's beer. You can buy small water-tight bags for a couple of dollars that can fit a camera & money into. Dont go if you dont have a sense of humour. Definitely go if you have a sense of fun and a desire to see a spectacle of the best kind. And maybe buy a few cheap pistols to offer to the young monks of the monasteries. You wont believe how good it will make you feel!! 
SOK DI PI MAI!! Happy New Year!


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