Monday 16 April 2012

Le Centre d’Ethnologie et des Arts Traditionnels est un musée situé au centre de Luang Prabang, non loin du marché Darat (Darat Market). C’est une association à but non lucratif dédié à la collection, la conservation et l’étude des arts traditionnels et des modes de vie des ethnies environnantes.

Le TAEC fut fondé en 2006 pour ouvrir ses portes en juillet 2007, organisant des expositions sur la culture ethnique Lao, mettant aussi à disposition un magasin proposant des produits artisanaux et un café orienté gastronomie ethnique. Durant les 4 premières années, le TAEC a accueilli près de 40.000 visiteurs, et s’est rapidement imposé comme un des hauts points de la conservation du patrimoine et du développement des communautés locales.

The 5th Lunar month of the Buddhist calendar is in April, when there are the New Year festivities, during which, there is the water festival. This lasts 3 days, the last day of the year, the neutral day, and the first day of the next year. During this period, many flowers have opened, especially the small Lao orchids, which normally flower, for just one week, during Pimay !

During these 3 days of festivities, everybody throws water at each other. Historically, only women had the right to throw water on men, but what used to be a tradition and a symbol, has become a sort of huge carnival. The Laos (and the Thais) use plenty of pieces of coal, flour and dyes, to mark the participants of this festival.

On the morning of the first day is the huge market which assembles all the small tradesmen of the region who have prepared makeshift shelters. All the inhabitants of the Province of Luang Prabang are there. The town is jubilant.

Pimay is the opportunity to go to an island, formed by the Mekong which is very low at this time of the year. There its festival time. The Laotians build sandcastles to hold their wishes for the new year. They enjoy bathing themselves in the Mekong, they wash themselves there, which signifies that mistakes are behind them and that good luck and protection are requested for the coming year.