Boun Pha Vet

This festival celebrates the birth of Prince Vessanthara.  In Laos, this prince in considered to be the penultimate existence of the Buddha.  The festival involves a recitation of the life of the Buddha and it is a popular time of year for Lao men to become ordained as monks.

Boun Ma Kha Bu Saar

This festival celebrates a speech given by the Buddha.  1250 enlightened monks arrived without being summoned to hear the Buddha lay down the monastic rules by which they must live their lives.  During the speech the Buddha also predicted his own death.  The biggest celebration of this festival occurs at the ancient Khmer ruins of Vat Phu Champasack.

Boun Pi Mai

This festival, occurring in April every year, celebrates the Lao New Year.  The duration of this festival is considered to be one of the best times to visit Laos.  Business slows down and the Lao people flock to the streets to celebrate as they don new clothes and wash images of the Buddha with holy water.

Boun Bang Fai (The Rocket Festival)

Boun Bang Fai is celebrated throughout the country at different times in different villages between May and September and is one of the most fun-filled and exciting festivals in Laos.  During the festival, homemade rockets are fired into the clouds while people chant and dance through the streets, the festival is seen as a way to ask the powers that be for rain.

Boun Khao Salak

Boun Khao Salak celebrates the Lao people’s ancestors by offers of donations in the hopes of remaining in the deceased ancestors good graces.  The celebration includes longboat races on the Sebangfai River and a trade fair in which various local products are sold while people play traditional music, dance, and watch performances.

That Luang Festival

That Luang is the most important religious festival held in Laos.  The festival occurs in Vientiane at the That Luang Stupa, a sacred monument for the Lao people.  Hundreds of monks gather to accept donations from people.  During the days, international trade fairs occur throughout the city where people come from far and wide to sell their wares. In the evenings, people congregate to watch firework displays.