2. Geography
A landlocked nation in
Southeast Asia occupying the
northwest portion of the
Indochinese peninsula, Laos is
surrounded by
China, Vietnam, Cambodia, Thai
land, and Burma. It is twice the
size of Pennsylvania. Laos is a
mountainous country, especially
in the north, where peaks rise
above 9,000 ft (2,800 m). Dense
forests cover the northern and
eastern areas. The Mekong
River, which forms the boundary
with Burma and Thailand, flows
through the country for 932 mi
(1,500 km) of its course.
3. Culture
Laos has at least 49 ethnic groups and each of
them preserves their own dialect, customs, culture and
tradition. However, because over half the population
are ethnic Lao (previously called Lao Loum) this is
obviously the most dominant group in Laos and the one
that most people encounter as the Laos culture.
The rich culture of Laos is rooted in immense
spirituality, as the predominant religion of Theravada
Buddhism has influences extending from lifestyle to art
and architecture. This is encountered in ceremonies like
the baci or Sou Khoun(a ceremony to enrich the spirit)
and the common practice of alms giving every morning
at sunrise.
4. Most villages have at least
one temple. These temples
are not only places for monks
to live and pray, they are also
the main centre for social and
recreational activities such as
village meetings, religious
ceremonies and festivals. In
urban areas, temples
sometimes serve as shelters
for homeless and
disadvantaged people.
Sometimes when someone
dies in an accident or outside
their houses the body will be
Golden Temple, Vientiane, Laos taken to the temple and kept
there for a few days for
religious ceremonies before it
is cremated.
5. Architecture
Lao architecture is mainly a mix of French
colonial, Buddhist (in temples), traditional Lao
and modern architecture, with some influences
from Thailand and other countries. In rural areas
most Lao people live in Lao traditional
houses, built of wood and raised off the ground
on stilts, but in urban areas modern style houses
are more common and Lao traditional houses are
slowly disappearing. Many ethnic groups have
their own house styles, such as the Hmong, Iu
Mien, and some other ethnic groups in the
northern mountainous areas, where the weather
is cold and windy in cold season. These groups
build houses on the ground with the end of the
roof almost touching the ground.
6. Religion
Buddhism first appeared in Laos during the eighth century
A.D., as shown by both the Buddha image and the stone
inscription found at Ban Talat near Vientiane, now exhibited at
Hor Pra keo Museum. After the foundation of the unified
Kingdom of Lane Xang, King Fa Ngum (14th Century) declared
Buddhism as the state religion and urged the people to
abandon Animism or other beliefs such as the Cult of Spirits. His
policy meant to develop the Lao culture based on a common
faith: Theravada Buddhism.
Today, Theravada Buddhism is the professed religion of about
90% of Lao people. Buddhism is an inherent feature of daily life
and casts a strong influence on Lao society. Lao woman can be
seen each morning giving alms to monks, earning merit to lessen
the number of their rebirths. It is expected that every Lao man
will become a monk for at least a short time in his life.
Traditionally, men spent three months during the rainy season in
a Wat (Buddhist temple). Today, however; most men curtail their
stay to one or two weeks.
7. Lifestyle
Lao people typically socialise as families, and most live in
extended families with three or sometimes more generations
sharing one house or compound. The family cooks and eats
together sitting on the floor with sticky rice and dishes shared by
all. Sometimes when someone pays a visit unexpectedly at meal
time we automatically invite them to join us without any
hesitation.
With the Lao people’s simple life, it is perfectly normal for
relatives or friends to drop by without calling in advance. So, if
you live or work in Laos, don’t be surprised if your Lao friends
suddenly appear at your front door. If they do that, it’s not
because they are tactless, it’s because it seems perfectly usual
behaviour for them, and also perhaps because they don’t know
or understand your cultural habits. Time is also a fairly flexible
commodity in Laos culture. Planning ahead and making firm
times for occasions can sometimes be frustrating for foreigners
who find the idea of something happening at “maybe two
o’clock” difficult to cope with. Also invitations to parties and
weddings are often only issued the day before the event and
the host is sometimes surprised that others need more notice
that this in their social lives.
8. The fact that most Lao people were brought
up in extended families that required a high level
of harmony, kindness, patience and readiness to
help each other has made the Lao a
generous, kind and soft hearted, tolerant and
socialized people. Lao people tend to value
privacy less highly than foreigners, partly because
it’s a normal way of life in extended
families, especially in the countryside where
everyone knows everyone else’s business.
Sometimes for those foreigners living here this can
be a surprise, especially with what they might find
are slightly personal questions and the fact
everyone in their village knows all about their lives.
9. Wedding / Marriage
In Laos culture, before a Lao wedding takes
place, (after the proposal) a traditional procession call Sou
Khor is arranged (an envoy of the boy sent to the girl to ask if
her parents will allow the marriage). If her parents agree to let
their daughter to marry the boy, a Kha Dong (bride-price) is
negotiated as well as who pays for what at the wedding. This
is usually the groom, but today often both parties share the
expenses. The Sou Khor session takes place several days or
even months before the wedding. Visit Laos Wedding page
for more info.
Once married, the couple lives
with the parents of the bride until after
the marriage of the next daughter (if
any) or in some cases they move out
earlier but the earliest is seven days
after their wedding.
10. When the couple has children, the stay-at-home parents or
grandparents usually help raise their grandchildren before they
reach school age. Grown-up children usually also live in until
they get married and sometimes even until after they have their
own children so that the grandparents can help raise them or
sometimes until they save enough money to build their own
house. However, one of the children (usually the youngest
daughter in big families) lives with the parents, inherits the main
house, and takes the responsibility of taking care of aging
parents. The moved-out children support their parents by
sending money back if they live far away, otherwise they come
to visit and eat together as a family very often.
In Laos there is no social security or other welfare, such
as homes for the elderly provided by the government.
However, as our family bonds are strong and everyone in the
family helps everyone out it is an important part of our culture to
take care of our aging parents and grandparents. This might
change in the future because the Lao simple life is slowly being
replaced by modern lifestyles and the extended families are
gradually being replaced by nuclear ones as people have
fewer children these days.
11. ARTS AND LITERATURE
Laos has a long tradition of oral
literature, including folk tales, children's
stories, proverbs, parables and poems.
Talented narrators can recite lengthy
poems, some as much as six hours
long, entirely from memory. Lam or khap is
love poetry set to music, performed as a solo
or in duets. Some songs go on all night and
sessions have been known to last for up to 72
hours. Contests for spontaneous poems and
songs are also popular.
12. There are three masterpieces of Laotian
literature: the Vetsantrasadok, the Sin Say, and
the Thao Hung. The Vetsantrasadok is the most
popular and deals with the life of Buddha before
his enlightenment. Education through
reincarnation is the theme of the story. The poet
Phangkham wrote Sin Say. Sin Say, the hero, was
born holding a bow and arrows in his hand. His
brother, Sang Thong, was a golden snail, and his
half-brother was an elephant with golden tusks.
The story tells how the ogre Nhak Koumphan stole
the brothers' aunt and how the brothers defeated
the ogre and rescued their aunt. Thao Hung is a
historical epic. Its hero belongs to the Mon-Khmer
ethnic group. It recounts the struggle between
ancient ruling families in Indochina.
13. The Dhammapada is an important
book in Buddhist literature. It contains 423
verses spoken by the Buddha on various
occasions. For example, "Mind is the most
important thing. It is the source of all
actions. If we act or speak with an impure
mind, we suffer. But if we act or speak with
a clean mind, then we shall be happy."
The Dhammapada was originally written in
Pali, a language that closely resembles
Sanskrit.
14. Laotian folk music is not written down but is
played from memory. Musical instruments include
the khen (a bamboo flute), buffalo horns, tam tam
drums, xylophone and a two-string violin. Maw
lam, or Laotian theatre, is part of many Laotian
festivals. It may be a rehearsed production
complete with costumes, or an informal, improvised
dialogue between two players.
Taos has a rich architectural heritage. One of
its most famous buildings is the Great Stupa in
Vientiane, which is considered a symbol of the
country. The temples at Luang Prabang, the former
capital, have been designated a World Heritage
Site. They have graceful roofs that sweep down
close to the ground.
15. Traditional Laotian handicrafts include
weaving and carving. Women weave
colourful cloth of cotton or silk that is worn
as a long, wrap-around skirt. The intricate
patterns may include gold or silver thread.
The patterns depict river dragons, flowing
water or a mythical creature that is partlion, part-elephant. Men carve in wood or
bone. Some carvings have religious
significance, others portray scenes from
everyday life.
16. Lao artisans have, throughout the past, used a variety
of media in their sculptural creations. Of the
metals, bronze is probably the most
common, but gold and silver images also exist.
Typically, the precious metals are used only for smaller
objects, but some large images have been cast in
gold, most notably the Phra Say of the sixteenth
century, which the Siamese carried home as booty in
the late eighteenth century. It is in enshrined at Wat Po
Chai in Nongkhai, Thailand, just across
the Mekong River from Vientiane. The Phra Say's two
companion images, the Phra Seum and Phra Souk, are
also in Thailand. One is in Bangkok and the other is
in Lopburi. Perhaps the most famous sculpture in
Laos, the Phra Bang, is also cast in gold, but the
craftsmanship is held to be of Sinhalese, rather than
Lao, origin. Tradition maintains that relics of the Buddha
are contained in the image.
17. Arts and Culture
One of the trademarks of Laos is the diversity of its
people and cultures. There are a number of traditional
arts and crafts that represent their way of life.
Lao has a rich cultural heritage with religious art and
architecture forming the cornerstone of artistic
traditions.
There exists across the country a plethora of distinctive
monuments and architectural styles. One of the most
notable structures is the That Luang, the great Sacred
Stupa, in Vientiane. Its dome-like stupa and fourcornered superstructure is the model for similar
monuments across Laos. Stupas serve to commemorate
the life of the Buddha and many stupas are said to
house sacred Buddha relics (parts of Buddha s body).
18. Generally, Hinayana Buddhists cremate the dead body and then
place the bones in the stupa, which are set around the grounds of
temples, or wats. Different styles of architecture are evident in the
numerous Buddhist Wats. Three architectural styles can be
distinguished, corresponding to the geographical location of the
temples and monasteries. Wats built in Vientiane are large
rectangular structures constructed of brick and covered with stucco
and high-peaked roofs. In Luang Prabang the roofs sweep very low
and, unlike in Vientiane, almost reach the ground. These two styles
are different from the wats of Xieng Khouang where the temple
roofs are not tiered
Lao religious images and art is also distinctive and sets Laos apart
from its neighbors.
19. The Calling for Rain posture of Buddha images in Lao, for
example, which depicts the Buddha standing with his hands held
rigidly at his side, fingers pointing to the ground, cannot be found
in other Southeast Asian Buddhist art traditions. Religious influences
are also pervasive in classical Lao literature, especially in the Pha
Lak, Pha Lam, the Lao version of India's epic Ramayana
Projects are underway to preserve classic Lao religious
scripts, which were transcribed onto palm leaf manuscripts
hundreds of years ago and stored in wats. Another excellent
example of the richness of Lao culture is in its folk music, which is
extremely popular with the people throughout the whole country.
The principle instrument is the Khaen; a wind instrument, which
comprises a double row of bamboo-like reeds, fitted in a
hardwood sound box. The khaen is often accompanied by a
bowed string instrument or Saw. The national folk dance is the
Lamvong, a circle dance in which people dance circles around
each other so that ultimately there are three circles: a circle
danced by the individual, another one by the couple, and a third
one danced by the whole party.
20. Most Popular Tourist Spots
The temple was built in 1565 as a royal
chapel and repository for the celebrated
statue of the Emerald Buddha, which the
Laotians had taken from Northern Thailand in
1551. The jasper statue remained in the
temple until 1778, when the Thais invaded
and recaptured the statue, taking it off to
Bangkok (Wat Phra Kaeo). The temple was
destroyed in 1828-1829 during the Thai sack
of Vientiane; rebuilt in 1936; and restored
again in 1993.
Ho Phra Keo was called "Wat Phra Keo"
("Temple of the Emerald Buddha") during the
time that the statue was in residence there. It
is now called "Ho Phra Keo" ("Altar of the
Emerald Buddha") because only an altar is
there, the image still remaining in Thailand.
Ho Phra Keo
Vientiane, Laos
20th century restoration
of 1565 original
21. Crossing the Mekong river near
Champasak, one sees the mountain
called "Lingaparvata," so named
because the natural formation (top of
mountain, center of photo) seems to
resemble Shiva's linga. To many
visitors, it even more closely resembles
a female breast. Wat Phu nestles at the
base of this mountain, which has been
a sacred site from at least the 5th
century A.D., being associated with
the early kings of Chenla.
"Parvata" means "mountain," so
"Lingaparvata" is literally "Linga
Mountain." It is the same word-root as
"Parvati," the name of Shiva's consort, a
mountain-goddess.
Lingaparvata
Champasak, Laos
22. This early-nineteenth century temple, the oldest
remaining in Vientiane after the Thais sacked
the city in 1828-1829, shelters a substantial
collection of 18c-and-earlier Buddha statues
(next pages).
23. Legendarily considered an Ashokan foundation, the site was
determined by archaeologists to date originally back to Khmer times
(11th-13th century). The stupa, seen here, was built in 1566 during the
reign of King Setthathirat, destroyed in the 1828-1829 sack of
Vientiane, and rebuilt in the 1930s.