Buddhist Lent (Boun Awk Phansa) Ends

October 7-8, 2025

The last day of Buddhist Lent usually falls in October, marking the end of the three month annual retreat for monks, this year it fell on October 8. Some of the roads in downtown Vientiane are closed for a few days for something like a carnival. There are many food stalls, carnival games where you can win prizes, VERY loud music, and people with loudspeakers selling things. It is seriously so loud it can affect your hearing. Craig's watch kept telling him the sound was dangerously loud, but you cannot get away unless you go home. Our apartment is close to the area and we could hear partying going on until about 1am. Most Lao people get up very early, so this is very late for them to stay up.

These are fertilized chicken eggs

Some food stalls were open during the day, but it did not get crowded until it started getting dark. Because we are near the equator, the sun goes down around the same time every day of the year, about 6:30pm. This is when it cools down and people come out. Around sunset, when the big crowds come, high school children are positioned across the roads where people walk in to the carnival area. They are there to pat you down so that no one will bring anything dangerous to the festivities. 

Craig and I had no idea, we thought they were going to be a part of a parade and waiting for it to begin, so we smiled and waved as we walked around them. They smiled and waved back and did not try to stop us. I guess we don't look to dangerous 😂 The following evening they recognized us and laughed as we let them "frisk" us. 

The girls checked women and the boys the men. There is no way these sweet people would have been able to tell if I had anything dangerous on me as their hands never touched my body 😄

After sunset, people from Laos gather along the Mekong river to set banana leaves decorated with flowers and candles afloat. This is called Lai Heua Fai. (It is very similar to a Thai holiday, Loy Krathong, where they float "krathongs" on the rivers in November.) These "boats" are set afloat on rivers, particularly the Mekong, as an offering to Buddha and the river spirits. Some believe this ritual helps to float away bad luck and usher in good fortune. 

A young family made and sold these beautiful floats. This one had a cool dragon made from banana leaf. I hope it made all our bad luck float away. Most of the time I buy something because of the person selling it, not necessarily for the best product or price, but although I purchased this because it was a cute family, it was also the most beautiful one I saw that night. 

Some have made a business of making money of standing in the river to help your float into the water

People here love to dance, this is in front of a boat that has been donated by a village. I am sure the dancers are from that village.

There’s a local belief that mythical water dragons, called Nagas, live in the Mekong and they shoot fireballs on the last night of Buddhist Lent. Visitors from all over Laos come to the river banks to watch. We did not see any fire spewing dragons - maybe we went home too early 😲 Perhaps something else to look for next year.

Long boat races are held on the river starting in the morning the last day. The teams are from different regions in Laos, and they all come to Vientiane to race. There are races in other parts of the country, but the one in Vientiane is the most important one. Good thing we live here! They are not your normal long boats, they are almost as long as the river is wide. It makes it difficult to turn around, so there is a lot of time in between the races. 

There are areas in the river that sometimes are very shallow, and some that have a lot of growth, so the race starts and ends in different places each year depending on what the river is like at the time of the race. No one knows exactly where the race will begin and end until flags have been put into the water, and a structure been built by the finish point for the VIPs.

Family stands close to the river to cheer on their team

The boat stretches almost all the way across the  Mekong

The entertainment

The race