#awk pansaa

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As if Luang Prabang wasn’t already lively and lovely - today (along with this past weekend) this beautiful Lao city was extra lit up for the celebration of Awk Pansaa — the end of Buddhist lent.

To be fair, this weekend also came with the full moon as well as the end of the rainy season. 

Because of its micro-climate and Laos being a landlocked country, Luang Prabang is well protected from disastrous monsoon weather. Storms can come close and some evenings the sky clouds up but usually not enough to adversely affect the city. During this time (as with most seasons), the environment is typically flushed with greenery, the skies are as blue as can be, and the atmosphere is calm with meditation and serenity. With the Mekong and Nham Kang River running beside this charming city, it couldn't get anymore scenic.

It’s during this time that Buddhist monks are liberated to return to their normal community duties after having been restricted to their temples to learn dharma and practice meditation for three months.

During the three months prior, monks are restricted from their usual way of life in their pagodas/temples. They're not to sleep in a different temple; they spend more time meditating; and the commune life is albeit more quiet.

With the end of Buddhist lent, there also comes celebration with music, cultural dances and performances, parades, boat races and more.

Monks also decorate their temples with intricate floats and lanterns, and the public join in with offerings and assistance, and sharing and receiving blessings. It’s a sobering, family fun and community, city and country wide event.

We spent our entire Sunday bicycling around the city, visiting temples, and hanging out with the Buddhist novice and monks. It was an amazing and unforgettable experience.

In the main street of Luang Prabang’s city center, an extravagant parade also takes place beginning after sundown on the following Monday. All the shops and vendors that typically line the streets take a day off to enjoy the festivities.

Most of the surrounding villages (around 20) build their own HUGE boat/dragon for the parade - on the low competing to have the most beautiful float. After parading down the nearly mile long stretch, each float is then placed in the Mekong to float off, lighting up the river and the night.

Ethnic groups are also out and about and in the parade wearing their traditional clothes, singing, chanting, dancing, displaying their cultural acrobatics as well as school, youth and community groups.

What’s most moving is the Monday evening ceremony in which signals the official end of Buddhist lent - people launch small, candlelit banana-leaf and bamboo (heua fan) floats on the rivers, decorated with offerings of incense and small amounts of money to bring luck and prosperity. 

Along with the hundreds of others, Elisabeth and I launched our own little floats on and into the Mekong River in the dark of the evening. In doing so we bid farewell to our worries, wished and prayed for luck for our future and paid respect to the spirit of the waters. 

On average there are more than 20,000 floats that will slowly make their way down the Mekong River.

This has got to be one of my favorite festivals of all time. It's quite possibly also the most awesome festival in Luang Prabang, if not all of Laos and Southeast Asia. It was such a powerful experience to feel the love from the community as they came together to celebrate life, spirituality and togetherness. The creativity, intention and oneness involved in making this festival weekend happen was also very touching and inspiring. 

This is one of the most memorable experiences I’ve ever been blessed with in all of my life.

Awk Pansaa left me with a rush that I know will have me in awe for quite a while. 

If you’re a fan of community and family fun festivals, I highly recommend you consider visiting Laos, especially Luang Prabang during mid October to experience the unforgettable Awk Pansaa, the end of Buddhist lent.

Fly High.

- Fres