VIENTIANE, Oct. 5 (Xinhua) -- Authorities in northern Laos' Luang Prabang province are preparing events to welcome visitors to the annual celebration of the end of Buddhist Lent, one of the biggest and most colorful celebrations in the Southeast Asian country.
A spectacular festival takes place in the town of Luang Prabang every year to mark this significant event in the Buddhist calendar, and this year activities will be open to participants and spectators from Oct. 10 to 19, Lao national TV reported on Saturday.
During the festival, there will be almsgiving and presentation of food packets to monks and novices in the early morning and throughout the day, followed by candlelight processions in the evening.
People will light lanterns to decorate the town, and parade with and later float large dragon boats down the Mekong River. At the same time, people will float small lighted boats made of banana leaves on rivers, to let diseases and bad luck go away and good luck flow in.
Some people use this occasion to reflect on the merits of their parents and the teachings of monks, and pray that they will prosper, and their lives will brighten like the candles on boats.
Luang Prabang province, some 220 km north of the national capital Vientiane, is one of the most well-known provinces in Laos and is a top tourist draw because of its riverside location, old temples, quaint streets and alleyways, colorful festivals, and scenic beauty. ■