Lao PDR is the most ethnically diverse country in Southeast Asia. Lao people comprise four main ethno-linguistic families: Lao-Tai (62.4 percent), Mon-Khmer (23.7 percent), Hmong-Iu Mien (9.7 percent), and Chine-Tibetan (2.9 percent), which are officially divided into 50 ethnic groups The 50 ethnic groups in the country can be further broken down into more than 200 ethnic subgroups.
hese 50 ethnic groups are geographically dispersed and were historically referenced in terms of three topographic locations: the Lao Loum (lowlands), Lao Theung (mid-lands), and Lao Soung (uplands). These categorizations also implied traditional agricultural production systems, with lowland peoples generally cultivating paddy rice, and midland and upland peoples pursuing shifting cultivation practices.
As of the 1981 Conference on Ethnic Minorities, the Lao government officially retired these three geographic categorizations previously applied to ethnic groups, in favor of a system dividing Lao people into the four ethno-linguistic families previously mentioned (Lao-Tai, Mon-Khmer, Hmong-lu Mien, and Chine-Tibetan). This step was made due to changing agricultural practices and geographies among ethnic groups that made the classifications somewhat inaccurate. Still, despite this change, the terms Lao Loum, Lao Theung, and Lao Soung are often used colloquially in present-day conversation.
There are more opportunity to you to discover about the ethnic Minoritiesmand the traditional herbal in Laos when you sign up this program for your travels
The rich culture of Laos is rooted in immense spirituality, as the predominant religion of Theravada Buddhism has influences extending from lifestyle to art and architecture. This is encountered in ceremonies like the Baci or Sou Khuan (a ceremony to enrich the spirit) and the common practice of alms giving every morning at sunrise.
Most villages have at least one temple. These temples are not only places for monks to live and pray, they are also the main centre for social and recreational activities such as village meetings, religious ceremonies and festivals. In urban areas, temples sometimes serve as shelters for homeless and disadvantaged people. Sometimes when someone dies in an accident or outside their houses the body will be taken to the temple and kept there for a few days for religious ceremonies before it is cremated.
DEPARTURE/RETURN LOCATION |
Souvannaboumi Airport Bankokok, Thailand and Luang Prabang International Airport |
DEPARTURE TIME |
Please arrive at least 2 hours before the flight. |
NOT INCLUDED |
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INCLUDED |
Entrance fees as it mentioned in the program |
National Tour Guide |
Private Minivan, Drinking Water, Lunch day by day Tour and small expensesMinivan,
Coffee and/or Tea, Snacks, Breakfast, Bottled water, Accommodation
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Day1: Arrival Day in Luang Prabang
Depart from Souvannaboummy International Airport to Luang Prabang by Air Asia afternoon flight! Arrive at Luang Prabang International Airport, Pick Up with the welcome special – welcome flower meet our staff team and driver drive 15 minutes to your Hotel and one way drive along Namkhan and Mekhong peninsula for the briefly World Heritage City atmosphere. Check In at your Hotel then hike up on the Phousi Hill the stunning view with 360 degrees view of the Luang Prabang province and watch sunset. After spend your lovely time here take another 328 steps down to visit Luang Prabang Night market. There are many of the local products to choose and bargain as it familiar for our local daily shopping. Dinner at the Coconut Garden
Stay at Mekhong Riverside Hotel
Day2: Morning Alms, Morning Market and Visit Remote Village
It’s the part of the program that we offered some of the traditions for you to feel the local ethnic people in Luang Prabang. Wake Up early at 5:30 am for your offering and merits to 300 monks for the monks morning alms for their daily routine. After morning alms we will take another walk to the morning market to visit the local food market settle here every morning. Drive back to your Hotel and take some rest until 9:00 am before your full day out to the village, visit the village of Khmu Tribe to learn about their traditions and cultural on their behavior. Khmu tribe is originally from the same tribe of the Mon-Khmer in Cambodia for the previous history during the Khmer-Khom empire power in the region in South East Asia. The Khmu tribe likes to live on the highest mountain region, Hunting, Slash and Burn for the mountain rice farming and animal farms. Khmu people also number two of the big major group after the Lao Loum or Low Land Laos who is the biggest major group in Laos. After we met the people at village meeting hall then we will make our village interview from the village shamans to learn more about the animism of the Khmu tribe. We will follow all of their tradition on how, what, when and where they prefer to show us for their traditions of the believe. Our leaders or local guides will be the host of the translator for any of their requirements. It will be the longest day being with the local people and the shamans because we would like to get you closer of what was happened in the past and it until now day for this respectful tradition.
Stay at Village Home Stay.
Day3: Full Day in the Village and meet traditional herbal shamans
Eat Breakfast at the village meeting hall! We know you had a long day from yesterday, but today is also your second long day being with the traditional herb shamans who can give and show you the traditional herb they used as it many years ago and it now still be used for their relieve the sickness, illness and to take care of any of their injuries when need. We will first visit the Shamans house to see what types of the traditional herb medicine he is remain at his house and learn the different from the shamans. Off from the shamans house we will trek out to the deep jungle to find some more medicines which is need to have them in order from shamans to his patients. The trek will be a couple of hours to find these traditional herb medicines to make sure when we return we have some of them in our hands. After come back from the jungle we will then look through the herbs to select the best one before we move to another progress.
Stay at Village Home Stay
Day4: Full Day in the Village making the traditional herb with Shamans
Eat breakfast at village meeting hall then move to Shamans house for the traditional herb medicines steps. We will have you to work with shamans for most of your day to learn through the value of the herbs. Spend most of your day here.
In this late evening we will have the special tradition from the village it known as ‘’ BACI’’ the white string tight on hands for our last day here for the blessing of the good luck, prospers, wealthy, strong health and successful the words of the softly speak that will be the shamans who give this magic spell called ‘’ Maw phawn’’ who is an expert of this ceremony as it been followed from the old generation until it now day. After the ceremony we will eat food with the villager who is our new friends of being here for a several days. It will be a late night here because it’s your last day in the village and saying good bye night for the night village celebration.
After being here for a bit long then we will drive back to Luang Prabang for your last night here.
Stay at Mekhong Riverside Hotel
Day5: Buddhist Temples and Monk interviews
After your long day with Khmu village tribe and today we will take you to get some of the main religion in Laos, the Buddhism in Laos since 14th century. We will have you to visit Wat Xiengthong, Wat Sen and Wat Visoun these 3 mainly temples are related to our religion to get you to know more about the entire of the peaceful life. After your time at the temples we would like to take you to one of the most beautiful temple in Luang Prabang as it depicting to the Lao life and the Buddhist concept display the most worshipers. To have you to get more pictures and the background of how and why the Buddhism is the main religion for us in the country so we will have our Buddhist monks to give you some of the interview about the Buddhism if you have any questions this would be your answers to get them all.
After the monks interview we will take a short meditation around 15-30 minutes to see how you could control your mood or your soul to be the quite persons and forgive. Whenever you able to end up with the meditation then we will take you to visit the Luang Prabang antique houses they known as ‘’ Heuan Chan’’ which is remain in the heart of Luang Prabang the world heritage city.
Stay at Mekhong Riverside Hotel
Day6: Drive 40 minutes visit Hmong village on the mountain
Eat breakfast at your Hotel then prepare your one day trip on the dirt road drive to Hmong Village to see the different type of the group of people in Laos. The Hmong has their traditions and customs very different from Laos and Khmu groups in Laos. They live on the highest mountains and remain their life with the natural such as Rice mountain farms, growing crop and hunting etch…
Hmong tribe also believe in the animism as Khmu, but they call their spirit ancestor is ‘’ Pee Fah ‘’ the heaven god so in all of the Hmong people have their shamans in the village which is use whenever they get sickness or illness this always believe that the spirit makes them in the sickness or illness situation from this they will always go to see their shamans to predict for them to see what types of the spirit they should pray to and prepare some of the shaman requires to have them to kill the animals for this to give to the spirit make sure the spirits are happy and helps them to get better of the illness.
The shamans will prepare for the all ceremony for his shrine before he is going to start his ceremony for the spirit.
This ceremony will take for a while to finish until everything will be on the shamans ordered! You will get the chance to see all of the shamans steps so you will know why they are doing this instead of using the medicals or hospital to relief their illness.
After showing you all of the steps we will join the ceremony eating or drinking with them in a part of the ceremony until we leave home!
Stay at Mekhong Riverside Hotel
Day7: Departure Day
It’s your last day and saying good bye to your friends in Luang Prabang! Depart to Luang Prabang International Air fly from Luang Prabang to Bankok.
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