Next: 14 to 16 Apr 2027
Pi Mai Lao
The Lao new year: processions of Buddha images in Luang Prabang, baci strings on wrists and playful splashing.
When is Pi Mai Lao in 2027?
Pi Mai Lao 2027 runs from 14 to 16 April 2027. Other years: 2026, 14 to 16 April 2026; 2028, 14 to 16 April 2028.
About Pi Mai Lao
Pi Mai Lao is celebrated in mid-April, and its best known setting is the old royal city of Luang Prabang, where the Prabang Buddha statue is carried in a ceremonial procession from the Royal Palace Museum to Wat Mai, to be washed with scented water. Young people dress in traditional silk, parade with the Miss Lao pageant contestants and wash the hands of monks. Families clean their house, take their old Buddha images to temples to be bathed, and tie white cotton threads around one another's wrists in a baci ceremony of blessing. The water throwing is more cheerful and widespread on the second and third days. Sand stupas and flags are made in temple yards.
Pi Mai Lao dates: 2026, 2027, 2028
| Year | Pi Mai Lao date |
|---|---|
| 2026 | 14 to 16 April 2026 |
| 2027 | 14 to 16 April 2027 |
| 2028 | 14 to 16 April 2028 |
What is eaten
- khao niao
- larb
- mango
Traditions of Pi Mai Lao
Also part of it, and being written: Luang Prabang (The city of the main procession.), Phra Bang (The sacred Buddha image.).
More marked on Pi Mai Lao
Written by the EveryParampara desk with AI assistance. Background: "Lao New Year" on Wikipedia. Customs differ from place to place and family to family. If this is your tradition and we have it wrong, tell us.