Lao New Year - ປີໃໝ່ລາວ - Wat Buddhalavarn

song: ປີໃຫມ່ແລ້ວແກ້ວຕາ ໂດຍ ບົວເງີນ ຊາພູວົງ

Lao New Year is on the fifth of Lunar month of the Buddhist calendar annually. Usually this happens in April. There are lots of activities happening on New Year day whether it’s religious, house, festival wise.

Lao people from different parts of the world typically do not get to celebrate until weekend due to economic reasons. And it’s only one day event and most of the time it’s done at temple. However in Sydney Australia Wat Prayortkeo has always been holding New Year festival for three days typically it starts off on Friday night and ends on Sunday afternoon. Other Lao temples in Australia also celebrate at different time to allow people to attend soaking in different atmosphere locally. Here are typical activities that you may come across during the events. They include:
• Fun activities for kids
• Food Markets
• Alms giving
• Concerts/shows/lumvong
• Nang Sangkharne Beauty Pageants contest
• Sport contest
• Buddha Statues Parade
• Buddha Statues cleansing

We also perform different activities on each day, such as spring cleaning, wash our hair, build sand mounds, free live birds or fish on the first day of the festival. On the second day we visit friends or go to the temple to cleanse Buddha images. On the third day or New year’s Day, we offer food to the monks, listen to Buddha talk or sermon, eat a special dish called “LARB” to bring good luck, pay homage to our parents and elders and tie white strings around each other wrists to say “Happy New Year”. We also wish each other good health by sprinkling water on each other. However, young people sprinkle by the buckets! In Australia, many Lao-Australian still perform the activities mentioned

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERY ONE!!
From laopress.com

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