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At sunrise today, Buddhists accross the country will make offerings at their local temple to gain merit and to ensure peace of mind in the coming year.
Later, as dusk falls in the evening thousands will head to riverbanks to release their incense and flower laden banana leaf boats under the moonlight to pay homage to the river spirits and to dispel bad luck, marking the end of Buddhist Lent in the annunal Ork Phan Sa Festival.
These special ceremonies take place at the end of every Buddhist Lent, which falls in the 11th month of the Buddhist calendar, and follows the Horkhoapadapdin and Horkhaosalak festivals which take place earlier in Lent.
During Lent couples refrain from getting married or engaged as the conventional belief holds that marriages entered into during this time will not stand the test of time. Now that Lent is over, the wedding season will start in earnest.
The end of Lent also means monks can travel aroudn the country. During the three month period they are not permitted to leave their local communities unless there is a specific urgent need to do so, for which they can be granted seven days of leave.
Rules such as these have been passed down from generation to generation and have been followed by monks and society for over 2,500 years.
The last day of Lent begins with an alms-giving ceremony in the morning before the Lai Heua Fai (floating lighted boat) ceremony takes place after dark.
First thing in the morning, people throughout the country will take offereings to their local monestaries to give to monks and novices who bless the offerers and wish them a happy life.
Devotees also make offerings of fragrant water to trees in the corners of the temple grounds to ask Ngamae Thorani, the female guardian spirit of the earth, to tell their dead relatives they should come to recieve the items presented.
In the evening people prepare small banana leaf boats, decorated wtih flowers, incense, and lighted candles, to float down rivers. In Vientiane, these colorful craft are set bobbing on the Mekong.
The candlelit boats create a stunning sight from the riverbank, as people make their way ot the water's edge to cast them adrift in homage to the river spirits and to dispel any bad luck or illness.
Some people mark the festival in their homes by lighting candles on their balconies and prayer alters, while some families fold banana leaves to resemble traditional long boats and decorate them with flowers, candles, incense, and balls of sticky rice.
Some people set off fireworks or hold colorful candlelit processions around their homes to ask for blessings from the naga and from Buddha.
Many temples display traditional boats made by monks and decorated with candles. The monks create several different styles of boats to provide an enjoyable spectacle for the thousands who turn out for the event.
Festival-goers raise the banana leaf boats to their heads while praying, for all their bad luck to float away, while young couples pray that their love is long-lasting.
Fireworks light up hte night sky and in some sections of the Mekong River fireballs can be seen rising from teh water as the river-dwelling naga make their presence fet.
Lao people believe the fireballs are the naga's way of honoring Buddha for the three months of meditation he undertook during Lent.
***I'm sure the whole festival yesterday would have been a lot more interesting if it wasn't interupted by a tropical storm from Thailand! Lots of damage caused to the street vendors booths, and hopefully few injuries.***
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