The Lao New Year

Words by Jason Rolan

Images by Phoonsab Thevongsa and Anita Preston / Evensong Film

Through the hazy heat of mid-April, water arcs through Luang Prabang’s drowsy colonial streets, splattering against smiling faces and soaking cotton sinh skirts. This is Pi Mai, Lao New Year, where purification comes in the form of playful dousings from passing pickup trucks and gentle ceremonial pourings over burnished Buddha images. The city’s usual languor transforms into a choreography of celebration, as barefoot monks in saffron robes receive alms at dawn and families gather in wooden homes perfumed with incense and dok champa blossoms.

Inside glittering temples, like Wat Xieng Thong, devotees move methodically from shrine to shrine, tipping silver bowls of scented water over serene statues while whispering prayers for good fortune. Meanwhile, in homes across the capital, grandmothers oversee the preparation of mountainous platters of papaya salad, their practiced hands mixing lime juice and fresh herbs as children dart past with water pistols. The rhythms of traditional music float through neighborhoods where baci ceremonies bind communities together, white cotton strings tied around wrists to anchor wandering spirits and ensure prosperity in the year to come. Here, amidst the water and warmth, ancient traditions don’t just survive – they splash gloriously into the present.