“Connie,” Khamxay, a wide grin on his face, reported to me with his cell phone extended. “I have something to tell you. We have a holiday on Monday. Women’s Labor Union Day. No work.”

He showed me the official announcement from the Ministry of Education and Sports, highlighted in red in the Laos language.

Oh, how we all love to hear that announcement! 3-day holiday. Whoopee!

In the office today, I announced to the staff and was then told by Santi about yet another holiday of sorts, that celebrated by the Buddhists. Tomorrow begins the 3-month ‘Lenten season of Buddhism.

According to Santi, thousands will be visiting the temples tomorrow, with flowers and offerings as this special religious season begins. Devout Buddhists make sure not to eat meat or harm living creatures (I wonder if that includes insects?) for the next 3 months. They live as sacred a life as they can mange, honoring the teachings of Buddha.

“You’ll want to go out to see this in person,” he told me. And as it’s a Saturday, I’ll have plenty of time to do that since the office is closed for the weekend.

My research led me to the following, which you can read below:

BOUN KHAO PHANSA (BUDDHIST LENT) – 20 JULY 2024

Held on the full moon, this festival marks the beginning of Buddhist Lent, the three-month period of monastic seclusion and meditation during the rainy season, when monks are required to stay within their wat. Monks are traditionally ordained during this period.

Many devout people often abstain from alcohol during this time. In the early morning of Boun Khao Phansa, people prepare donations of food, especially “Khao Tom” (cooked sticky rice wrapped in banana leave), and necessities like soap, toothpaste, toothbrushes and towels for the monks. Most temples are busy during this time with people making merit and giving donations. At the end of these merit-making activities, the monks will recite the teaching of Buddha and tell the history of the Buddhist Lent to temple-goers. Later in the evening, monks, and novices cannot leave their monasteries to become lay-people and traditionally lay-people are not allowed to get married until the end of the Buddhist Lent or Ok Phansa. Ok Pansa is one of the most beautiful times to visit Laos 

Pouring Rains Dampen Spirits

I do wonder, however, if our continuous downpours might cause temple visitors to delay their arrival times for worship.

Usually, our horrendous rains hit at night while we are sleeping but yesterday, Khamxay and I were stuck at the office until 6:30 p.m. as we waited over an hour to leave.

While I had only a short 5-minute drive home, Khamxay had a 40-minute drive ahead of him back to the church as he and his extended family are currently living in an adjacent church building while they wait for their house to be finished. It’s in the beginning stages of being built. Without anyplace to stay, the church offered a building for them to live in with a few rooms. No air-conditioner, no kitchen facilities or bathroom. Plus having to drive that awful church road mudpit, every day, is bad enough after the rains but a lot worse in the smack-dab middle of them.

We eventually gave up at 6:30 p.m. We exited in a torrential raining-cats-and-dogs situation. If we’d stayed, we’d have been sleeping at the Center because that rain just wouldn’t give up. (It continued until 3 a.m. in the morning.)

Before heading out the office door, Khamxay’s sister and brother-in-law face-timed him that they were hungry. Can you pick up take-out on your way home?

A Quick Note about Khamxay’s Sister

His 36-year-old sister is expecting her 3rd child any day now. I am sure she has been feeling very uncomfortable lately, due to her currently huge size.

I’ve worried how the family will manage to get her to the city hospital when transportation might only be a motorbike. There is an old car but last time Khamxay and his dad took it out, they had a flat tire and no money to get a spare or replacement tire.

The average Laos woman doesn’t have the luxury of picking a date and time for induced labor, then leisurely go to the hospital to have this done. Such costs are not in budgets, especially when there is no income and having a child (roughly $250) is a matter of borrowing from numerous friends and family members. Therefore babies here, like in the “old” days, come at any time of day or night. And with weather conditions so unpredictable during the rainy season, one wonders what future family stories of “when you were born” might include a drenched Mother (in labor) holding on for dear life while on the back of a motorbike that is slipping and sliding through the muck and mud.

I could see on that video chat that everyone looked stressed and tired.

His sister was loudly scolding the oldest child, who was messing about in the background, and her husband was muttering something or other in the Laos language concerning not sure what. It was late, too, and everyone must have been hungry, which put everyone not in the best of moods.

Before Khamxay took off, with me to lock the security gate behind us, I handed over some money for a meal on Connie.

“It’s for your sister,” I told him. “She needs a substantial meal to keep up her strength for having the baby. And you all need just as much energy to help support her. Get something good!”

After Khamxay arrived home, he thanked me for the treat. He sent these pictures of his roadside take-out stop in the wet and gloom, later followed by happier postings, that of his close knit family sitting down together to eat.

Looks like everyone had a lot better dinner than I had with my measly chicken and vegetable concoction. Not very tasty but it was something to eat.

Closing Off

I’ll do my best to zip about the city tomorrow, taking pictures of those entering temples and what they’re purchasing. It is not appropriate to take pictures inside temple areas. I’ll just stick to outside. Maybe I can slip in between a downpour, if we end up like we did yesterday.

And let’s pray that Khamxay’s new little niece (yes, it’s a girl!) holds off long enough for a no-rain trip to the delivery room. Keep his family in your thoughts and I’ll keep you all updated on the baby’s arrival.

Connie in Laos