I’m so lucky to have been in Luang Prabang during the Boun Lai Heua Fai festival, otherwise known as the Fireboat Festival. The festival celebrates the end of Buddhist lent. The town and temples are decorated with colorful lanterns, and the festivities culminate in a beautiful, raucous parade down the main street. Villages (villages here are like neighborhoods at home) come together to construct huge, elaborate fireboats that are paraded down main street. The end of the parade route is the Mekong river, where the fireboats are set afloat, unmanned. It was quite a sight to behold. Even the preparations were gorgeous. I spent a lot of time at the temples, talking to the monks, and making photographs. The preparations took about two weeks. I saw the monks working every day, having fun, taking pride in their fanciful creations. It’s really quite amazing what they accomplished. The decorations are all handmade, not bought in a store like our Christmas decorations, which make them even more special and meaningful. So beautiful!
This blog post is photos of the preparations, I’ll post a couple more with the temples decorated and lit up, and of the festival parade.
