President Thongloun Sisoulith taking part in a religious ceremony at the That Luang festival last week.- VT
VIENTIANE: Thousands of Buddhists turned out for a mass almsgiving as part of the That Luang festival last week, sharing in a highly revered ritual that is the biggest annual religious ceremony in the country.
President Thongloun Sisoulith takes part in a religious ceremony at the That Luang festival last week.
The ceremony, which also pays homage to the grandiose That Luang stupa, was attended by party and government leaders including President Thongloun Sisoulith, other senior officials, and representatives of foreign embassies and non-governmental organisations.
The almsgiving ceremony, along with the traditional tiki match and candlelight processions around the stupa, take place in the days running up to and including the full moon this month, and form the climax of the festival.
The Vice Mayor of Vientiane, Phouvong Vongkhamxao, said this year’s festival has extra significance because it is taking place during Visit Laos Year and has special features designed to appeal to visitors, including an exhibition featuring a traditional village and displays of various aspects of Lao life in centuries past.
Another highlight of the festival was the wax castle procession, when monks, high-ranking government officials, and local residents gathered with their colourful, ornate waxen offerings.
The procession began at Vat Simeuang and ended at the grand stupa. Leading the parade were Vientiane Mayor Atsaphangthong Siphandone, his wife, Vice President of the Lao Front for National Development Inlavanh Keobounphan, and representatives of the Lao diaspora visiting Laos from other countries.
Members of the public from villages and districts across Vientiane carried elaborate wax structures of varying sizes, with some so large they required several people to carry them.
The parade also featured people dressed in an array of ethnic costumes, while some pounded rice, played khaen, and beat drums, as iconic symbols of the Lao way of life.
Despite the crowd, participants greeted one another warmly like family, sharing a sense of unity.
The procession circled the central edifice of the That Luang complex and the yellow pyramids were placed in front of it as their bearers made wishes and murmured prayers.
Built in 1566 during the reign of King Setthathirat when he moved the capital of the Lane Xang Kingdom from Luang Prabang to Vientiane, the stupa is the national symbol of Laos and the country’s largest and most revered religious monument, making the That Luang festival the most important Buddhist festival in the Lao calendar.
The stupa, which encases a much smaller original structure, is said to contain a strand of Lord Buddha’s hair and a chest bone. - Vientiane Times/ANN
