Traditional Buddhist Ceremony and Lao Dinner

Today we went to the local temple and learned about Lao Buddhist ceremonies. We joined Christina P.’s family for dinner afterwards.

Dressing for Success at Your Local Buddhist Temple

We arrived at the temple around 5:45 after meeting Christina P.’s aunts and uncle Surinyong. When women go to the temple they must cover their shoulders and knees. Women are encouraged to wear a traditional Lao sinh. Everyone who goes to the temple should wear a long Lao sash that crosses from the left shoulder to below the right armpit. White is a more acceptable color for a sash for temple ceremonies. Christina P.’s family was very generous to lend us sashes for the occasion.

ready for temple

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here we are meeting Christina P.’s aunts! (We had not put our sashes on yet.)

Ceremony at the Buddhist Temple

When you go to the temple you should bring a dish with two small candles stuck to the outside. Inside the dish you should have a folded banana leaf filled with small candles and decorated with marigolds. You should also bring a small bowl and a bottle of water. Christina P.’s uncle Surinyong provided all the necessary materials for performing the traditional rituals.

ready to go

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Everyone was excited to learn more about Buddhist ceremonies and looked great wearing their traditional sashes. Notice the dishes with candles and marigolds on the table.

To begin the ceremony, we rolled out Surinyong’s straw mats and kneeled on them. Men are allowed to sit criss cross apple sauce, and women are not. Women have to sit on their knees or flat on their bottoms with their legs folded to the side. Men sit on the mat closest to the monks, and women sit behind them. Everyone is supposed to put their hands together in a prayerful position even with the tip of their nose.

We began the ceremony by sitting down and placing the dishes with the side with two candles facing towards the large statue of the Buddha inside the temple. We set our bowls and bottles of water to the side.

Surinyong was kind enough to provide a sheet with the words to the monks’ chant before the ceremony began. The monks chant in Pali, which is an ancient language that the Buddha spoke. Pali is a dead language today, and monks are usually the only people who study it.

at the temple for real

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

Here we are before the Buddhist ceremony on the steps of the temple.

During the ceremony, we attemped to chant in Pali with the monks; however, it was very difficult to follow along since we did not know the rhythym or cadence of the chant. We bowed when the monks bowed. (In Buddhism, you put your hands together to pray. If you want to bow, you separate them and touch the ground with your hands and your forehead.) The ceremony took about thirty minutes total. At the end, we bowed three times and then poured the bottles of water into the bowls. After we poured the water and the monks chanted more, we poured the water onto a plant of our choice and we were told to make a wish. I’m not sure if Western rules for wishing apply, but to be safe, I have to keep my wish a secret! Otherwise, it won’t come true!

Meeting the Head Monk after the Ceremony

After the ceremony concluded, we had the chance to meet the head monk of the temple. He went to the National University of Laos and earned his Master’s degree there. Surinyong introduced him to us, and we greeted the monk by saying “Sabaidee, ku bahn” (hello, senior monk). The head monk said he hoped that he could attend some of our classes at the National Univesity so he could improve his English. I hope to see him in class soon!

After our brief introductions in Lao, the head monk brought out some braided orange bracelets with three strands. He individually called us to the front of the mat and asked us to hold our left hands in a position of prayer and extend our right hands with the palm side facing up. The bracelet recipient sat closest the monk while he prayed over them and loosely tied the bracelet without touching them. (Buddhist monks are not allowed to touch women at all.) Anyone who was not receiving a bracelet at the moment touched the recipient with their extended right hand. If you were not in close proximity to the recipient you could touch someone who was touching the recipient and form a chain. We all received orange bracelets from the monk.

me receiving the monk's bracelet

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

The monk blesses me and gives me a bracelet. All Buddhist monks shave their heads and eyebrows and wear orange robes.

There was a sweet older woman at the ceremony who celebrated with us. She offerred us colored bracelets with beads and blessed us as she tied them on our wrists. In Buddhism, for the blessing to take hold, you must wear the bracelets for a minimum of three days. I will certainly keep mine on for three days or possibly longer!

Family Dinner

After the Buddhist ceremony at the temple concluded, we went back to Surinyong’s house for family dinner. I brought dragon’s eyes (a type of fruit in the lychee family) as a gift. In Laos, it is polite to bring dragon’s eyes or small bananas as a gift for the dinner hosts; however, it is not required. If you bring anything besides fruits, it is considered rude since it implies that the host, someone of a higher status than you who has shown great generosity in organizing such an event, does not have everything that they need to organize a successful get-together.

We sat on the floor according to traditional Lao custom. Surinyong’s cook prepared tom gai (“tom” means “soup” and “gai” means “chicken”), khao niao (“khao” means “rice” and “niao” means “sticky”), laarb (chicken with minced mint and assorted herbs), papaya salad, and other assorted dishes. At traditional Lao meals, you ball up the sticky rice and dip it in dishes with juice or sauce. I dipped my sticky rice in the juice from the papaya salad, and it was delicious. We ate everything else with chopsticks, and had small bowls and spoons for the soup.

family dinner together

Courtesy of Guerra, C. (2023)

When we finished the meal we had nam wan (“nam” means “water” and “wan” means “sweet). They had several flavors of nam wan, including: corn, pandans (tastes like vanilla), banana, tapioca, and a mix of all of the above. I had the banana, and it was refreshing. Then we played cards at the table. Our hosts served us small bananas and dragon’s eyes while we played.