Amazing That Luang Festival, Vientiane, Laos
Boun That Luang, Vientiane
Understanding Laos' Most Important Festival (And How to Actually Pronounce It)
Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Burma all share a similar religion and culture. The festivals can vary somewhat, although the largest Theravada Buddhist ones (e.g. Songkran in Thailand), are common to all four countries. Held every November, ‘Boun That Luang’, or the That Luang Festival (ບຸນທາດຫຼວງ), is the most important event in the Vientiane calendar. (Pro-tip, it’s not actually pronounced Vientiane, it’s ‘Wiang ‘Jun’. And there is no ‘S’ at the end of the word Laos in actual Lao language.)
A Photographer's Dream (That Nobody Else Seems to Photograph)
OK enough pedantic stuff. A few years ago I happened to be in town for the festival, so I went out and hung out. (I had seen this festival in 1998 as well, but didn’t take any photos.) It was amazing that at such an incredible event I appeared to be the only person taking photos. Like anywhere in SEAsia, it’s completely fine to photograph people, and these festivals are just full of interesting characters. If you are planning a trip to Laos, it’s worth trying to catch this event. If you time it right you can hit the Luang Prabang Film Festival that is held a week or two after every year.
