Bui Kim Ngan (Bao Loc - Da Lat, 30 years old) is currently a freelancer with a passion for traveling. With the nature of her freelance work, she has quite flexible time to explore and experience many new lands. According to her, traveling is a way to enrich her life, to have a more open and fresh perspective on the world and herself to truly live a full and fulfilling life.
During her recent trip to Laos, Kim Ngan experienced the Alms Giving Ceremony in Laos when visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang.
Alms-giving ceremony - traditional culture of the people of the Land of a Million Elephants
During her recent trip to Laos, Kim Ngan experienced the Alms Giving Ceremony in Laos when visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang. This is also an activity that Kim Ngan is looking forward to participating in during her trip to Laos this time.
The alms-giving ceremony in Laos is also known as Tak Bat, a traditional ritual of the Lao people to honor and show respect for Buddhism. One of the long-standing traditional beauties of the culture in the Land of a Million Elephants.
The alms-giving ceremony in Laos is also known as the Tak Bat alms-giving ceremony. This is one of the long-standing traditional beauties of the Buddhist culture of the Land of a Million Elephants.
According to Kim Ngan, the alms-giving ceremony takes place every day in the early morning at temples and pagodas throughout Luang Prabang. The time of the alms-giving ceremony usually takes place from around 5:30 to 6:30 am. Participating in the ceremony, you will witness a special scene: Hundreds of monks wearing yellow robes from the temples walk in rows on the streets with bare feet, carrying large jars with them. Buddhists or tourists will wait on the roadside to offer alms. Passing by each kneeling person, the monks stop for a few beats, receive sticky rice/cakes and then continue to repeat with the next person... Most people usually pray briefly before offering to the monks' bowls and vice versa, the monks also pray back to bless the people.
“I heard that the food that the monks received from the people will be distributed to the poor people in the city. And also for the monks to use only during their day. The monks will go through the main streets of Luang Prabang, but the place where the most people gather to participate in the ceremony that I saw was on the night market street in Sisavangvong, starting from Wat Mai”, Kim Ngan said.
Most foreign tourists when visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang are impressed by the alms-begging ritual in Laos in the orange-yellow color of the monks going on alms-begging every morning.
To prepare for the Alms Giving Ceremony in Luang Prabang, there are a few things that visitors should prepare. First, try to set your alarm to wake up early because the ceremony takes place in the early morning. Next, wear modest and polite clothes to show respect for Buddhist beliefs.
You can prepare to bring some small food items such as sticky rice, sugar, fruits to join the offering to the monks. Finally, prepare an open mind and be ready to explore and experience new things. The alms-giving ceremony in Luang Prabang and the surrounding area is not only a religious ceremony, but also a deep feeling of respect, humanity and solidarity of the community.
The tradition of Tak Bat alms-giving in Laos dates back to the 14th century when local people woke up very early to prepare a portion of alms food for the monks.
“For me, the Alms-begging Ceremony is a beautiful and admirable cultural feature of our brothers in the Land of a Million Elephants. This activity does not only take place on a fixed day but is usually held regularly every morning. According to my research, I know that alms-begging is one of the activities that monks practice and cultivate to eliminate anger and pride when accepting to be beggars from everyone. At the same time, it helps people create merit through offerings. Children here are also encouraged by their parents to participate, kneeling on mats to perform a duty that they consider sacred and proud. Perhaps thanks to being educated from a young age according to Buddhist principles to learn generosity, tolerance, and humility, the Lao people in general that I meet are gentle and peaceful. The people here are what I am most impressed with about this land,” Kim Ngan recounted.
Experience and some notes when participating in the Luang Prabang Alms Giving Ceremony, Laos
Usually, visitors will not be able to prepare food such as sticky rice/cakes to participate in the offerings, but you can rest assured that on the streets in the area where the Alms Giving Ceremony takes place, there are many people selling baskets full of items for the ceremony with prices starting from 80,000 Lao kip (about more than 100,000 VND).
When you buy things here, you will sit on the chair that the seller has prepared to participate in the offering. The experience is to buy directly on Sisavangvong road because if you buy from another place and bring it there, there will be no chair to sit on when you arrive.
With every step we take, we feel the orange robes of the monks moving together in the pristine morning of life, the awakening of a new day.
If you do not sit directly with the people offering offerings, you can still stand outside and observe the ceremony. However, remember to keep quiet and respect the local people during the ceremony, do not make noise or jostle to take pictures/turn on the flash or take pictures too loudly, affecting the solemn atmosphere here.
"Luang Prabang is a city where car horns do not exist"
In Luang Prabang, after participating in the alms round, you definitely cannot miss the morning market right there. Just search on the map “Morning market” and walk a short distance to get there. If you like to learn about the culture of a land, going to the market will be the place to see most clearly the rhythm of life, people and specialties there.
Market in Luang Prabang
“Here, I think, souvenirs and local specialties such as scarves, wallets, dried meat... are sold at cheaper prices than at the night market. People often say it's 'noisy like a market', but if you try the Lao market, you will see that this is no longer true. Even at the market, the pace is still slow, there is no solicitation, as if everyone thinks that if they meet the right person, they will buy. And even at the market, it is still very clean and everything feels neat, from the small bundles of vegetables tied neatly, or the onions and chili peppers divided into small, interesting-looking pieces,” Kim Ngan was impressed.
In addition to participating in the Alms Giving Ceremony and going to the morning market, Kim Ngan also suggests some must-try experiences when visiting the ancient capital of Luang Prabang.
Visit Wat Xieng Thong – the most beautiful ancient temple in Luang Prabang with majestic towers and extremely sophisticated wall carvings. Or soak in the cool, blue water of Kuang Si waterfall, watch the sunset on the Mekong River, feel the peaceful space and slow pace of life in the ancient capital.
Peaceful space and slow pace of life in the ancient capital of Luang Prabang
Enjoy street food by walking around the night market and eating dishes such as grilled fish, Lao noodles, drinking Lao beer, eating sweet soup... Wandering on the streets, looking at the traditional old houses like Hoi An ancient town, but with a touch of the West.
Kim Ngan said: “Of the 3 provinces that I had the opportunity to visit in Laos, the ancient capital Luang Prabang was the last stop but left me with the most special impression. Here, everything is light, time seems to flow slowly like the calm and peaceful surface of the Nam Khan River. What I was especially impressed with was that I did not see any traffic lights in this beautiful city, vehicles, whether crowded or empty, still drove leisurely and no one was in a hurry to honk even a little. Luang Prabang is a city where car horns do not exist.”
An unforgettable memory of this trip to Laos was that in Kim Ngan's group, a member lost her passport right before returning to Vientiane to fly back to Vietnam. Due to the short time, her friend thought that she might have to stay in Laos for a few more days to deal with this unexpected situation. However, thanks to the enthusiasm of the Vietnamese Consulate in Laos, her friend was supported with documents to re-issue a temporary passport even though it was almost the end of working hours that afternoon and the next day was the weekend.
Kim Ngan's impressions of the country, people and experiences in Laos
During that time, the local Tourist Police in Luang Prabang were still trying to find the lost passport. Luckily, right before boarding the high-speed train back to Vientiane, the Consulate informed her that they had found her friend's passport and went straight to the train station to return it in time. Thanks to that, Kim Ngan's friend no longer needed to use the temporary passport.
“I am really impressed with the country, people and experiences in Laos. If I have the chance, I will definitely return to this land and immerse myself in the slow, peaceful life here,” Kim Ngan added.
