Lao New Year (Pimai Lao) in 2011

Season greeting for Lao people nationwide! This year Boun Pimai or Pimai Lao is taken place 13-16 April 2011. This special biggist event is one of the most important annual festivals, particularly in Luang Prabang and celebrates the Lao New Year.

The first month of the Lao New Year is actually December but festivities are delayed until April when the days are longer and the weather hotter. This is particularly advantageous when hoses are leveled at you and buckets of water dumped upon you! Pimai Lao is a combination of merriment and meditation. Similar to other regional festivals at this time of year especially Thailand, Pimai Lao is celebrated with parades, circle dances (ramwong), traditional Lao folk singing (mor lam) and enthusiastic water-throwing. The religious aspects of the festival are most apparent in Luang Prabang, where water pouring ceremonies are used to worship Buddha statues. Temple compounds are further decorated with small sand Stupas, offered in the hope of attaining good fortune and good health.

The lunar New Year begins in mid-April and practically the entire country comes to a halt and celebrates. Houses are cleaned, people put on new clothes and Buddha images are cleaned. This festival is particularly picturesque in Luang Prabang, where it includes elephant processions.