Awk Phansa Festival
After the monks have endured the 3 months retreat in their own monastery, they are then allowed to travel again. The last day of the Rains retreat is called "AwkPhansa" which means "leaving the Rains retreat".
This day marks the end of the Buddhist lent and falls on the full moon day of the eleventh lunar month (October).
On the first day at dawn, many people go to the temples around the country to give donations and offerings. In the evening, candlelight processions are held around the temples and it is the celebrations of laiheuafai or Loika Thong, when everyone sends small lighted “boats” made of banana stems or banana leaves decorated with candles and flowers down the river.
Laotians do this activity to show their respect to the Buddha and gratitude the mother o river for providing water for our lives. Whereas others send the lighted boats down the river to ask for blessing and to float bad luck of the past year away enabling the good luck to flow in. Most towns with a river bank nearby will engage in this lovely ceremony. For villagers from town far from the river, they also prepare model boats decorated with flowers and candlelight. They often take these candlelight in front of their house and do their little prayer wishing for good luck. This colorful rituals have been carried on by Lao people for thousands of years.
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