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LAOS
Opening
Hours & Festivals
In 1998, the official working hours of all government offices were
adjusted. The two-hour lunch break was shortened to one, and government
workers were given Saturday off. Old habits die hard though, which
means that while official hours for government offices are 8am-12pm
and 1-5pm Monday to Friday, very little gets done between 11am and
2pm. Post offices are generally open 8am-5pm Monday to Friday, 8am-4pm
on Saturday and 8am-noon on Sunday.
Banking hours are usually 8.30am-3.30pm, Monday to Friday nationwide;
exchange kiosks keep longer hours but are rare. The hours of private
businesses vary, but almost all are closed on Sunday. During the
heat of the day many shop owners will partly close their doors and
snooze, but it is perfectly acceptable to wake them up. All government
businesses close on public holidays, though some shops and restaurants
should stay open. The only time when many private businesses do
close - for three to seven days - is during Chinese New Year (new
moon in late Jan to mid-Feb), when the ethnic-Vietnamese and Chinese
populations of Vientiane, Thakhek, Savannakhet and Pakxe celebrate
with parties and temple visits.
Festivals
All major festivals , whether Buddhist or animist, feature parades,
music and dancing, not to mention the copious consumption of lào-láo.
Because the Lao calendar is dictated by both solar and lunar rhythms,
the dates of festivals change from year to year. Tourists are usually
welcome to participate in the more public Buddhist festivals, but
at hilltribe festivals you should only watch from a distance.
Festivals of most interest to tourists include Lao New Year , pi
mai lao (April 15-17), which is most stunningly observed in Louang
Phabang, where there's a big procession, and sand stupas are erected
in monastery grounds; in Vientiane, there's a parade led by a white
elephant; and anywhere in the country you may be ambushed by young
people carrying pails of water and armed with squirt guns. Also
known as the rocket festival, Bun Bang Fai (May) is a rain-making
ritual that predates Buddhism in Laos, and involves launching crude
rockets accompanied by plenty of bawdy jokes and props. Lai Heua
Fai (full moon in October) is a festival of lights, most magically
celebrated in Louang Phabang, where each neighbourhood builds a
large float, festoons it with lights and parades it first through
the streets and then on the Mekong. In the days leading up to the
That Louang Festival (full moon in November), Vientiane's great
stupa becomes the centrepiece of a fairground, where vendors, musicians
and other performers gather for the annual celebrations. |
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