Wan Ok Phansa ( th, วันออกพรรษา, ; literally "day of going out of Vassa", ออก in Thai meaning exit or leave) is the last day of the

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

- Lao observance of Vassa. It occurs in October, three lunar months after the beginning of Vassa, known as ''Wan Khao Phansa'' ( th, วันเข้าพรรษา). The day is celebrated in Isan by illuminated boat processions ( th, ไหลเรือไฟ ''lai ruea fai'', tts, ไหลเฮือไฟ ''lai huea fai''), notably in Nakhon Phanom Province on the Mekong and in Ubon Ratchathani on the

Mun River The Mun River ( th, แม่น้ำมูล, , ), sometimes spelled ''Moon River'', is a tributary of the Mekong River. It carries approximately of water per year. Geography The river begins in the Khao Yai National Park area of the Sankam ...

. The main ceremonies feature boats of 8–10 metres in length, formerly made of

banana A banana is an elongated, edible fruit – botanically a berry – produced by several kinds of large herbaceous flowering plants in the genus ''Musa''. In some countries, bananas used for cooking may be called "plantains", distinguis ...

wood or bamboo but now sometimes of other materials. The boats are filled with offerings such as ''

khao tom ''Khao tom'' ( lo, ເຂົ້າຕົ້ມ; th, ข้าวต้ม, ; also spelled ''kao tom''), or ''Khao tom mat'' ( th, ข้าวต้มมัด, ) is a Southeast Asian dessert eaten by Laotian and Thai people, consisting of ...

'' (

glutinous rice Glutinous rice (''Oryza sativa var. glutinosa''; also called sticky rice, sweet rice or waxy rice) is a type of rice grown mainly in Southeast and East Asia, and the northeastern regions of South Asia, which has opaque grains, very low amylose ...

sweets wrapped in banana leaves) and decorated on the outside with flowers, candles and

lamp Lamp, Lamps or LAMP may refer to: Lighting * Oil lamp, using an oil-based fuel source * Kerosene lamp, using kerosene as a fuel * Electric lamp, or light bulb, a replaceable component that produces light from electricity * Light fixture, or ligh ...

s. The boats are launched in the evening. Additionally, some celebrants individually launch their own, smaller, vessels. Boat races also take place around this time in many places throughout the country as a way to please the Nāga spirits. Along the Mekong River, people launch little hot air balloons, acting as a

lantern A lantern is an often portable source of lighting, typically featuring a protective enclosure for the light sourcehistorically usually a candle or a wick in oil, and often a battery-powered light in modern timesto make it easier to carry and h ...

s, around the night of Wan Ok Phansa. Launching the boats (or the lanterns) symbolizes your wishes but also getting rid of unnecessary negative feelings.

Etymology

"Wan" ( th, วัน) means "day", "Ok" ( th, ออก) means "to exit; to leave",ออก aawk ''thai-language.com''
/ref> and Phansa ( th, พรรษา) is the Thai word for Vassa.

Dates for Wan Ok Phansa

References

{{Reflist Buddhist holidays October observances Observances set by the Thai lunar calendar Buddhist festivals in Thailand Boat festivals Observances held on the full moon Buddhist festivals in Myanmar

Etymology

Dates for Wan Ok Phansa

See also

References