Unique "Water Festival" of Lao people in Dien Bien district

The Lao ethnic group is one of 19 ethnic communities living in Dien Bien province with many unique cultural features, including the Water Splashing Festival. In Lao, "Bun" means festival or New Year or also means happiness, "huot" means to splash, "nam" means water. "Bun huot nam" is understood as the water splashing festival or Water Splashing Festival.

Water Splashing Festival (Bun Huot Nam), Dien Bien district 2024.

Bun huot nam is a ritual during the traditional New Year of the Lao ethnic community in Na Sang I village, Nua Ngam commune, Dien Bien district, Dien Bien province. This is an important event in the cultural and spiritual life of the Lao ethnic community, because people believe that it is an occasion to pray for favorable weather, good crops, and the growth and development of all things.

Bun huot nam is also an occasion to wash away the bad things of the old year, to step into a new year of good luck for members, families and the community.

Bun huot nam is also an opportunity for people to express their creativity through folk games and traditional dances unique to the Lao people.

Since 2015, Bun huot nam has been restored by the community of Ban Na Sang I to celebrate the traditional Lao New Year from April 14 to April 16 (Solar calendar), contributing to recreating the traditional cultural elements of the Lao people and has become a way of life and custom of the people here.

Bun huot nam has the meaning of washing away the bad luck of the old year. With the hope that the person who gets splashed with water will have good luck and fortune in the new year. In addition to that meaning, the Water Splashing Festival also wishes for a favorable rainy season in the new year, praying for rain to cool the fields, soften the soil for people to sow seeds.

Bun Huot Nam consists of two parts: the ceremony and the festival. The ceremony usually begins with rituals to worship the village and ancestors. This is a profound spiritual ritual of the Lao people, expressing gratitude to the gods and ancestors for giving them favorable weather, good crops, and good health and luck.

After the ceremony, the villagers enter the festival with unique folk games of the Lao people such as: turtle hatching eggs, tiger attacking pigs, snake catching shoots, foot-catching dance, picking ripe melons, phan vieng, lam vong dance...

These are folk games that recreate the settlement and village establishment process of Lao people and all originate from the life of working and producing, conquering nature, fighting natural disasters and enemies, protecting crops and protecting the lives of the community.

After the ritual of worshiping the gods, the celebrant will lead everyone to the bank of Nam Nua stream to perform the rain-praying ceremony (so nam pha phon).

After the rain-praying ceremony, people go down to the stream to splash water on each other to wish for good health and immerse themselves in the cool stream to purify themselves. After splashing water on themselves, people will bring water back to splash on their houses, worship objects, livestock and production tools because they believe that water will help wash away bad things, diseases and wish for a long, clean and healthy new year.

In recent years, the Water Festival of the Lao ethnic group in Dien Bien province has contributed to affirming the existence and development of the Lao ethnic community in the area and affirming the formation of national cultural identity.

This year, the Water Splashing Festival attracts a large number of locals and tourists.

Local traffic police had to work hard to regulate traffic because of the large number of tourists.

Coming to Na Sang village during the Water Festival, visitors will experience and immerse themselves in the traditional rituals of the cultural space imbued with the folk colors of the games.

The Lao people's Water Festival is a potential for tourism development in Dien Bien district and Dien Bien province.

Source: https://www.baogiaothong.vn/doc-dao-tet-te-nuoc-cua-dan-toc-lao-o-huyen-dien-bien-192240414113009164.htm