Baci Ceremony in Laos – I Was Blessed

Written on Monday, December 5, 2022 by Kelli Fisher

We were invited to a local Lao family house to experience a Baci Ceremony which is a traditional Lao ceremony.  After hearing about this I was intrigued as to what would happen and what would be expected of me.  We drove through some back streets of Luang Prabang and ended up down a one-way street in the backyard of a local house.  Our group of 6 were warmly welcomed and introduced to the family that lived there.  We sat in a circle on the floor and in the centre was a pyramid of marigold flowers, offerings and candles.  The senior village shaman was going to bless us, and we listened carefully and respectfully.  It began with some chanting and prayer from the elderly Shaman and then he lit a candle in the centre. Then he and the family all came around the circle and, whilst whispering prayers and good wishes, each tied white cotton strings to each of our left wrists.  We ended up with 6 strings that were to stay on for 3 nights to bring us good luck.  Next came the glass of Laos whisky that was passed around and the local biscuits and sweets for us to eat to celebrate the ceremony.  I did keep the strings on for 3 nights and so far, so good.

 

If you’d like to read more about Laos – click here