Festival of Lights

So I realize that Chanukah is only a couple weeks away, but I'll celebrate the other festival of lights when the time comes.  This time I'm talking about That Luang Festival. Held during the full moon of the twelfth lunar month, this festival is one of the largest in Laos and the most important in Buddhism.

Wednesday was a national holiday and with the day off work, I was determined to make my way to the festival to watch the procession and join in the commotion.  I was told that over 5,000 monks gather at 5 am to process in and receive alms at the That.  Unfortunately, I fell asleep at 9 pm on tuesday without setting an alarm and by the time I woke up, if was far to late to even think of biking across town.  Instead, I enjoyed my day off reading my book on the patio and later in the afternoon, met my friend Michelle for a drink on her rooftop terrace.

Pha That Luang in its golden glory

Feeling guilty about skipping all of the That Luang festivities, Michelle and I decided to venture over in a tuk-tuk to witness the 7 pm candle lighting ceremony.  The entire area was mobbed, but we made our way towards the That and were able to watch the monks lighting rows of candles that had been strung up around the higher steps.  By 7, more and more people had begun to climb around us, offering wax castles and flowers to the monks.  We tried to walk around for a better view, but it was hard to see over the large wall that was keeping the public out of the That grounds.  Not sure what we were waiting for, we went to go find something to drink and as soon as we stepped under a tent, it started to rain.  Before the big downpour hit, we made our way to a tuk-tuk and were waiting in traffic to get back to city center.  Despite the wet conditions, the Lao proceeded to try and have a fireworks show which was sad to say the least.  And I'm not blaming it on the weather.

Monks (in orange) lighting candles at the base of the steps

We made it back to town and decided to try out the Korean restaurant on our block.  To be honest, it wasn't as good as everyone kept telling me, but maybe we'll order differently if there's a next time.

Cheers to good friends and golden temples!