The Alms Giving Ceremony, Luang Prabang

Alms giving is ubiquitous throughout the Indo China countries of Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and Myanmar.

A visit to Vientiane, Laos provided us with a perfect opportunity to visit  the UNESCO World Heritage City in that country, Luang Prabang.  I had made a list of places to see and topping the list was the alms giving ceremony to the Buddhist monks or bhikshus or bhikkhus there. This is a special ceremony which begins at the break of dawn throughout the city. Early morning, groups of monks go to collect alms for the day.

a young bhikshu

I asked the hotel reception where could I go to see the ceremony and he said, oh just outside the hotel. I said, you mean they would be coming this way? Yes, be ready early in the morning by 6.  We had an early dinner and went off to sleep.  Before I realized my husband was frantically waking me up.  Get up, people are already down the street. I looked down the window and saw men and women sitting on right side of the road.  I took a hasty shower, changed into suitable and presentable clothes and rushed down.

There was absolute silence and people were talking in whispers.  Men and women were seated on mats with their shoes off . Women were sitting with knees tucked behind. I saw some old women sitting on a small stool. Every person had a container in front of them.  The offerings varied from biscuits, sweets, candies to fresh cooked rice.

waiting time

Soon I saw a line of  orange clad monks coming towards us.

lid of bowl open for alms taking

giving alms

They would pause in front of the person just long enough for him to drop his share of alms in the collecting vessel.

thanking the alms giver

a gesture of gratitude with folded hands

I wanted to take part in the ceremony but since I was  unaware of the rules at that time, I thought it best to be a silent spectator.  The moment was breathtaking and ethereal.  There were monks of all ages from a young child to old monks.

There are certain rules that should keep in mind when going to such a ceremony or giving alms to a Buddhist monk anywhere in the region. I talked to  my friend Villa Teng who confirmed these rules:

• One needs to be appropriately dressed, no bare shoulders, chest or legs should be exposed and whenever possible a scarf is wrapped diagonally across the chest from left shoulder to the right side.
• In a ceremony where interaction with monks is expected, one should not wear any head wear. 
• One should never look into the eyes of the monk for, you are giving alms and that needs to be done with respect. Also one should not be too close to the monk, but at a comfortable arms length. 
• Women should not in any way touch a monk.
• If, standing, alms should be given with the head bowed and with  folded hands.
• Whenever interacting or talking to monks in a ceremony, one should sit with legs properly tucked in and hands folded with respect and talk to them  in a low voice.
• Traditional clothes are recommended for ceremonies
• Freshly cooked rice or food should be offered.

On our return flight, I noticed a monk sitting in the waiting area.  When boarding was about to be announced, a flight attendant came to him.  With folded hands, she asked him to follow her and even before the airline crew got on board, the monk was seated on the plane. 

Such is the respect towards Buddhist monks in the region.