The Fire-boat Festival, Boun Lai Heua Fai (ບຸນໄຫຼເຮື່ອໄຟ) is perhaps the most beautiful of Luang Prabang's annual festivals. It follows immediately after the Buddhist holiday of Ork Phansa, the end of the three month rainy season retreat for monks, which occurs each year on the full moon of the 11th Lunar Month (Varies from early to late October)
For the festival each monastery in the town will decorate its compound with paper lanterns. They will also build a large float, often shaped like a naga serpent, from bamboo, banana trunks and paper. These "fire-boats" are illuminated from inside by dozens of candles. The construction of these floats is a community affair with all the monks and novices as well as members of the lay community helping in the construction during the week leading up to the festival. On the nights leading up to the main festival all the temples will display their fire-boats and other lanterns in the monastery compounds which will be busy with visitors of all ages coming to see this beautiful illumination display.
In addition to the large fire-boats, families and individuals also make their own personal offerings. For many days the pavements are lined with street vendors selling krathong, small floats made from bamboo and banana leaves with just one candle in the centre. People buy these to light a personal offering which they will place into the Mekong River on the night to float away, taking away their worries and concerns and bringing them good luck for the coming year.
On the final day of the festival a large parade takes place of all the fire-boats. Those built by the monasteries are joined by boats built by various schools, colleges, the university and other organisations. In the late afternoon the procession assembles on the main road leading up to the fountain. Once darkness has fallen this long procession makes its way through the centre of town towards Vat Xieng Thong. The huge illuminated fire-boats, pushed along by the young men, look spectacular against the back-drop of Luang Prabang's famous French colonial houses and its temples. Young women in beautiful traditional dress follow the fire-boats, dancing slowly with hand-held lanterns. As the procession passes the former Royal Palace, invited VIPs watch from a pavilion set up overlooking the road, whilst a panel of judges also assess each entry in the procession in order to award a prize for the best fire-boat of the festival.
The procession eventually makes its way to the main staircase down to the Mekong river behind Vat Xieng Thong. Here each fire-boat is lifted-off its carriage, man-handled with some difficulty down the stairs and launched onto the river. The night ends with these fire-boats floating serenely down river surrounded by hundreds of small illuminated krathongs, launched with people's personal wishes.
The Fire-Boat Festival is a magical and beautiful sight, one of the high-lights of the year in Luang Prabang. For the town it is an important ceremony which pays respects to the guardian naga spirits and the fire-boats are also believed to carry away any misfortune, ensuring good-luck for the coming year.
This short video on my YouTube site shows highlights of the Boun Lai Heua Fai parade in 2023.