The Water Festival
Certainly the event best known to tourists during Pi Mai is the "water festival". Thousands of (mainly) young people, both locals and tourists, cram the central area of Sisavangvong Road for three days of drinking, dancing and most importantly drenching everybody with water. The partying extends to every village or ban in the town with many streets lined with young people ready to throw water at any passers-by. Others drive around town in pick-up trucks either dousing others or being doused themselves. It is great fun and a huge change from the usual quiet and reserved character of Luang Prabang.
For many Pi Mai is three days of partying and getting very wet
The origins of this water festival are obscure but it is celebrated throughout the region in Laos, Thailand, Myanmar, Cambodia and parts of China. It comes towards the end of the hot season when often these lands would be parched and dry, waiting expectantly for the monsoon rains to come. Perhaps traditionally it was to encourage the rains to start as well as providing some light relief for the people at the end of the hot season. Sprinkling water on people was also considered to bring good luck to them and done as a sign of respect by young people to their elders. Similarly pouring water over monks and Buddha images was considered auspicious and this we shall see is still an important part of Pi Mai rituals. The raucous partying that takes place today on the main street is no doubt influenced by similar partying in Thailand and has become the main draw for the large number of tourists that visit for Pi Mai.