One of the best things about Luang Prabang is its festivals. They tend to be more beautiful, more traditional, and more reserved than the ones I've seen in Thailand. They also tend to be a lot of fun. Last night's Loy Kratong was no exception.
All week, people have been busy decorating their homes, shops, and temples with "Christmas" lights and 3-D hanging lanterns. The lanterns come in all shapes and sizes, but cylindrical and star-shaped ones seem to be the most popular. People have also been busy building small boats out of thin slices of bamboo and lit with candles. Hopefully I got some good pictures of all of the activity that I will be able to share when I return to Bangkok next week.
Also as the week has gone by, more and more firecrackers and fireworks have been going off around the streets of Luang Prabang. Even the monk novices seem to have gotten into the spirit. On a slow bike ride around the city a couple of nights ago, I noticed that more than a few BOOMS, BANGS and CRACKLES were coming from inside the centuries-old temple walls.
The culmination of a weeks worth of preparation culminated last night with a night-time parade down the main street of Luang Prabang. Villagers from all over the province paraded their lit boats and sang and danced and lit firecrackers and in general, made as much noise as possible as they made their way down the street.
At the end of the street, at the Sang Thong temple, the boats were launched in the Mekong along with hundreds of handmade, handheld baskets of flowers and candles. After witnessing all of this, we headed back to my guesthouse and watched the small lights float down the river.
All of the lights and all of the noise and all of the boats are in honor of the Naga who live in the river, and to the river itself. It is a celebration of the mae nam -- "river" in Thai and Lao languages -- but literally translated as "Mother Water". It's a good reason to celebrate, for without her, life would not be possible.
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I'd like to see some photos of Neua such as the street, houses, pigs, kids, riverside cafe, etc. Sounds like a great place for my next visit to Luang Prabang.
Loy Kratong is another month more..... And it is time for wish-making again...... Yipee
Hi Y'all, thanks for the comments.
Carl, yes, I highly recommend making it to Muang Ngoi. It's one of the most beautiful places I've seen in Laos. I'll try to post some pics later this week.
Kitjar, yes I know that the Thais celebrate Loy Kratong in November, but in Luang Prabang they celebrate in October. Strange huh? I'll look forward to doing it again in one month :)
In Kuala Lumpur, we also celebrate Loy Kratong on a big scale at Wat Chetawan in Petaling Jaya. There is the normal prayers, and then to loy the Kratong at the nearby Jaya Lake!
I have always like this festival, so serene, and also Loy Kratong is a wish-making festival. All my wishes I made during Loy Kratong have ALWAYS come true!