That Luang Festival (the State Fair for Laos)

First of all, That Luang is pronounced taht luang (or /ta:t lʊaŋ/ for those of you who can read IPA), not that. I didn't make the transliteration system here, I only use it. Blame the French, I do.

That Luang is a large golden stupa in our city Vientiane.

Every year there is a huge festival at the stupa during the full moon. I liken the experience to the Iowa State Fair, but with bad food and nothing to look at. Every night teenagers go to buy things from vendors in little tents. There are concerts, games, even a few carnival rides that were probably deemed unsafe in Russia so were sent here. Every few feet there is a lady with a table selling grilled chicken, sweet sticky rice, and my fav, grilled eggs. Lacking from the selection is anything deep fat fried. Grilled eggs? C'mon! Give me a fried snickers bar any day.

Somehow the eggs must really connect with Lao people though because the place is shoulder to shoulder packed every night. So, there you have the metaphor, it's like all of the bad parts of the State Fair with nothing delicious or interesting to redeem it.

The last morning of the Festival is special though. Monks from all over the country (and even some from Thailand and Burma) travel to Vientiane to collect alms from the people there. Monks are lined up across a massive parking lot, each with several hefty bags to carry their loot. People give alms from about 4am to 10 or 11 and by then the Monks are fully loaded with merit worthy gifts.

The funniest thing about this is that if a Lao person went to America and happened to go to the State Fair in Iowa, they would probably think the same thing as me. "This is kind've like That Luang only not fun. I mean, they don't even have grilled eggs! Funnel cakes, what?"