Learn about the name of the months in Lao.⠀
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Note: If you can not remember the name of the month, then at least learn to count the Lao numbers from 1 to 12. For example, April is the 4th month on the Gregorian calendar. Hence, you can say “Month 4”, which in Lao is ເດືອນສີ່ /deuan sii/. Even when I was visiting Laos, sometimes they would refer to the month number as well.⠀
1. ມັງກອນ /mang gawn/ = January
2. ກຸມພາ /gumpaa/ = February
3. ມີນາ /miinaa/ = March
4. ເມສາ /maesaa/= April
5. ພຶດສະພາ /peutsapaa/ = May
6. ມີຖຸນາ /miituunaa/ = June
7. ກໍລະກົດ /gawlagot/ = July
8. ສິງຫາ /singhaa/ = August
9. ກັນຍາ /gan nyaa/ = September
10. ຕຸລາ /dtu laa/= October
11. ພະຈິກ /pajik/ = November
12. ທັນວາ /tanwaa/ = December
Major Festivals in laos
April
ປີໃຫມ່ລາວ /bpii mai Lao/ Lao New Year. This is the major festival. New Year for Lao people and represent a new beginning — a celebration of honoring your family and Buddha.
Lao New Year falls in the middle of April but the celebration can extend throughout the whole of April for many people!
May
ວັນວິສາຂະບູຊາ “Vixakha Bouxa” Vesak/Buddha Day. A festival celebrating the life and death of the Buddha, where he reached enlightenment and attained Nirvana.
ບຸນບັ້ງໄຟ /boun bang fai/ Rocket Festival. Usually celebrated before the rainy season. A cultural celebration where rockets are shot in the air to signify coming of growth and fertility for rice planting and farming.
July to October
Loi Khatung Festival of Light A very visual Buddhist festival that includes decorating banana tree lit candle boats being sent to the river, and a day of offerings to Lao Mekong river serpert (Naga). During late August, it is a also follow by drawing a crowd for the rowboat races.
October/November
ບຸນທາດຫຼວງ /Boun That Laung/ That Laung Festival. The biggest Buddhist festival held in Vientiane, the modern capital of Laos. It is held for 3 days where thousands of people from Laos and even other countries come to celebrate and hold various festivals/activities.
