Young Girl in Hmong costume

Coming to the festival

Barbecue and beautiful colors

There was a section of the fair with many little shops and things to buy like shoes or a new knife.

Selling natural and local medicine

Selling ice cream bars

Pavillon

Family at the table for lunch

We noticed right away that no one had any objection to having their picture taken. When asked the girls would politely smile and then pose for the picture. They all LIKED to have their picture taken today. Many times I saw a young girl dressed in a beautiful outfit being proudly escorted by her parents to the fair. Courtship was definitely in the air.

Beautiful daughter and family

Young Couple

As we wandered farther into the fair we saw beautifully dressed young people standing in rows and tossing balls back and forth to each other. I learned later this is a courtship ritual. Tossing the ball back and forth is a way of proving that you can work together. Also, the ball is tossed at a relaxed rhythm and leaves plenty of time for making conversation with a potential husband or wife. In fact, there were hundreds of people standing in lines and tossing small balls back and forth.

friends and couples standing in lines and throwing ball

Hmong courtship and just fun

Close up of the ball and toss

Later, Michel found an old wall which he particularly enjoyed photographing the locals in front of. I spent an hour or so being completely entertained watching him gather people for pictures. He would head down into the crowd and select the young people he wanted to photograph. Then, using a combination of sign language and showing them photographs he had already taken, convince them to walk back up the hill to the wall for a picture. Usually showing them the previous photograph taken was all that was needed, even if the wall was not conveniently located, they wanted to have their picture taken too.

2 couples very well dressed

Little girl against the wall

2 Girls in very authentic costumes

What makes these pictures and this festival so exciting is the authenticity of the clothing. The Hmong have been making these costumes using these colors and styles for generations. The colors are more vibrant now that they are no longer using natural dyes. The fabrics are not all made from local materials. But the tradition of the patterns and the styles represent the Hmong tribe that these people come from. The customs and the costume styles have been passed down for generations.

Young girl in blue

Adult women dress up too

Categories: Laos travel

Tags: Hmong Festival, Laos, Luang Prabang