“For 40 years I have gone to the same temple and celebrated this festival with my community”
“I am preparing for Taakbaak (religious offering) to take to the temple. I usually start prepping for the Boun Awk Phansa(End of Buddhist lent) festival at least 3 days before the occasion. I need to prepare meat, fish, taro, vegetables, Khaotoon (cooked rice in banana leaf), and candles for the celebrations. In our small village it is hard to find everything, I need to go to the big market for many things. So I usually make sure I buy anything I need for the festival well in advance. But I collect most of the fruits and vegetables for the offerings from my garden.”
“Every year at the end of Buddhist lent on Oct 24th– so tomorrow, I will wake up early morning, finish preparing the basket for Taakbaak, do early morning chores and then get nicely dressed with my family. We then go to the temple together and participate in the prayers. The prayers are really nice on this special occasion and we also listen to the five principals of Buddhism. In the evening we light candles in front of our home. This is an important celebration for us. Our ancestors for generations have also celebrated it and it brings us together with everyone present but also those that passed away. We pray for each other and we also ask for forgiveness for the things we have done to cause any harm to others and to nature. End of Buddhist lent is also important because after this celebration people can celebrate other events and many people also get married at this time.”
“My village is a very fun time during the festival and celebrations. I am 40 years old, I was born and brought up in this village and have lived here since. For 40 years I have gone to the same temple and celebrated this festival with my community. I love the people here and we know everyone. When we have time, often we cook together and share jokes with our friends in the village. The holidays is always more fun because everyone spends time together and celebrates. During the full moon days, Buddhists believe it is bad luck to be working, so no one is farming, working on coffee or doing any other labour on this day. Everyone just relaxes and spends time with their family and friends. My family has joined the coffee project and it is going well because my family has a good relationship and we all work hard together. My husband is really caring and good at taking care of the family. We are always all supporting each other. Both of our girls help out with all the work. This year I am praying for a good income from our work and a happy future for my children.”