Actually, I did not have my camera at the ceremony, so I got a couple pics off the internet to illustrate this post :)
From what I learned about this ceremony, there is a 15 day period during this past lunar month where people honor the past 3 generations of dead ancestors. So there are many ceremonies like this held around the area during the 15 days. I was invited to attend one at my friend P's house. I let her know that I would not be taking part in the ceremony but that I came to watch. I was thankful that she understood and respected that, and let her family know too.
When I arrived there were 3 monks in the room. There were several "money trees" positioned around the room too. These are fresh bamboo poles that are cut at the top and then fanned out to be like branches. Tied to the "branches" were money and other things such as tooth paste, clothing, pictures, etc. These things were gifts for the spirits of the dead ancestors, but also a way to make merit since these things would be given and used by the monks when the ceremony was done. There were also small Lao tables filled with various foods...one table for each of the ancestors. The ceremony began with the monks chanting. I sat in the back of the room and quietly prayed during this time. It was the first time where I really felt burdened for this people group and I felt quite emotional as I prayed for their souls and for the strongholds here.
In this part of the world it is interesting to observe how Buddhism has lost a lot of its reverence. During the chanting one of the monk's cell phone went off and he decided to answer it and chat away :) Once the chanting was done, the monks ate the food on the tables in front of them. (they are only supposed to eat in the morning). And then after they finished eating, the two older monks lit their cigarettes and were smoking away.
It was then time for everyone else to eat. The tables were prepared with all the "favorites" of the dead ancestors so it was kind of like a buffet. However, it was very different than the Western buffets I'm used to :) I was offered a charred baby sparrow (head, beak, eyes, and all) but I just couldn't do it. Then I was offered some wasps from a nest (see pic of wasps nest above). P's uncle put 4 or 5 in my hand so I decided to try them. They weren't my favorite, but I managed to eat them (wadding them up in sticky rice helps :) Some of the other food was really good. And the fresh fruit in this part of the world is always nice!
After the meal, the family gathered again for a string tying ceremony. This is called "baci" or "sukhwan". It is rather hard to explain. But from what I understand it is based on the belief that a person's soul/psyche is comprised of different parts and must be summoned back to wholeness again. This type of ceremony usually takes place at big life events or when there has been an event where the soul/psyche has been disturbed (goodbye party, wedding, after an accident, etc.)
This month I have started trying to initiate some time to see my students outside of class. (Some of these times were more successful than others :) A few of the activities included: meeting for lunch with students, playing croquet on the school lawn, and having students at my house for stamping/card-making, etc.
Actually, I did not have my camera at the ceremony, so I got a couple pics off the internet to illustrate this post :)
These are pictures of the two different classes I teach. Not everyone is pictured because perfect attendance is hard to come by! I'm really enjoying getting to know them :)
Each teacher has their own classroom and I enjoyed decorating mine (finally got to use some of my old teaching stuff from America again :) I only teach adults, but one class is at the beginning level so I was able to put up the ABC's and some of the more basic English vocabulary.
Our school is a vocational school that teaches English, Vietnamese, and Computer at this time. It opened in 2007. My house is on the same property as the school so it is very easy just to walk a few feet to work :)
