{"id":1138,"date":"2010-02-18T15:06:25","date_gmt":"2010-02-18T08:06:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/?p=1138"},"modified":"2016-01-29T09:47:18","modified_gmt":"2016-01-29T09:47:18","slug":"baci-ceremony-laos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.exotravel.com\/blog\/en\/baci-ceremony-laos\/","title":{"rendered":"Call in the Spirits and Bring Harmony with a Baci Ceremony in Laos"},"content":{"rendered":"

Despite the prevalence of Buddhism in Laos, animist beliefs are still widespread amongst the people of the country.\u00a0 The belief in phi<\/em> (spirits) is blended into Buddhism.\u00a0 Some monks are respected to have the ability to exorcise spirits from a sick person or drive them away from one\u2019s home.\u00a0 Many Lao people believe that they are protected by kwan<\/em> (similar to the concept of a soul).\u00a0 A baci<\/em> ceremony is meant to \u2018call\u2019 the kwan<\/em> in celebration of certain events or to protect one during illness.<\/p>\n

Before getting into the baci<\/em> ceremony it is important to understand the concept of kwan<\/em>.\u00a0 Some westerners have described kwan <\/em>as vital forces giving harmony and balance to the body.\u00a0 It is an ancient belief in the country that human beings consist of a collection of 32 organs and that one kwan <\/em>is assigned to protect one particular organ.\u00a0 It is imperative that a person keeps as many in the body as possible.\u00a0 It is also believed that a person gets ill when one or more kwan <\/em>leaves the body.\u00a0 So, the baci<\/em> ceremony is meant to re-call the kwan <\/em>and secure them in the body, thus re-establishing balance.\u00a0 For other purposes, the baci <\/em>ceremony is meant to re-call the kwan <\/em>for good luck and fortune.<\/p>\n

The baci<\/em> ceremony (otherwise known as su kwan <\/em>which means calling of the soul) is the center-piece of many celebrations and rituals.\u00a0 Some of the people who are given bacis <\/em>include a mother who is recovering from birth, newlyweds for happiness and prosperity, novice monks before entering a temple and as mentioned before the sick to speed up recovery.\u00a0 The ceremony can take place at any time of the year and at anytime of the day, but noon or before sunset is preferred.<\/p>\n

Before the ritual, the younger people present would pay their respects to the elders.\u00a0 There will also be a pha kwan<\/em>, which is an arrangement consisting of a silver bowl containing a banana-made cone sprouting from the top, some flowers and white silk threads.\u00a0 Around the base is the food for the kwan<\/em> which usually includes eggs, fruits, sweets, a bottle of rice whisky and whole boiled chicken.\u00a0 The pha kwan <\/em>is placed on a white cloth in the center of the room and everyone touches it before the start of the ritual.<\/p>\n

The ceremony is performed by a respected elder who is an ex-monk.\u00a0 He calls the kwan <\/em>in a loud song-like chant asking it to bring well-being and happiness and to share in the feast that will follow.\u00a0 When the chanting is finished, the elder puts the food (usually the egg as it symbolizes fertility) onto the recipient\u2019s hand.\u00a0 He then takes the white silk thread and ties it around the main receiver\u2019s wrist, and then to everyone else at the ceremony.\u00a0 The thread must be left on the wrist for three days (or until it falls off by itself), and can be broken or untied but never cut.<\/p>\n

The baci <\/em>ceremony is a very important ritual in Laos and although it is not necessarily a tourist attraction, you can contact us<\/a> if you would like to be a part of this special ceremony in any of our Laos tours<\/a>.\u00a0 In the meantime, you can enjoy a thorough Southeast Asian experience with our Colorful Capitals <\/a>tour where you will visit each city\u2019s main attractions and rarely seen sites as well as partaking in a baci <\/em>ceremony in Vientiane.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Despite the prevalence of Buddhism in Laos, animist beliefs are still widespread amongst the people of the country.\u00a0 The belief in phi (spirits) is blended into Buddhism.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"close","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[263,243,261],"tags":[388],"class_list":["post-1138","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-arts-and-culture","category-laos","category-see-do","tag-festivals"],"yoast_head":"\nCall in the Spirits and Bring Harmony with a Baci Ceremony in Laos - Exotissimo Travel Story<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Despite the prevalence of Buddhism in Laos, animist beliefs are still widespread amongst the people of the country. The belief in phi (spirits) is blended into Buddhism. 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