{"id":21958,"date":"2022-11-16T12:37:54","date_gmt":"2022-11-16T12:37:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/?p=21958"},"modified":"2022-11-18T15:08:01","modified_gmt":"2022-11-18T15:08:01","slug":"timeless-traditions-laos","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/timeless-traditions-laos\/","title":{"rendered":"Discover the Timeless Traditions of Laos"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=&#8221;21959&#8243; img_size=&#8221;full&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The fascinating traditions upheld in Laotian culture are vastly different to those in western society. Want to experience a fascinating insight into this unique culture? We\u2019ve got everything you need to know. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><b>The Xout Lao &#8211; Laos Traditional Dress<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The national Laotian costume is called the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">xout lao,<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> meaning \u2018Lao outfit\u2019. This traditional dress in Laos, which has different components, can look slightly different depending on the occasion and the region in which it is being worn. The <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">xout lao<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is worn by men, women and children, although the style varies.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Men wearing a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">xout lao <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for a formal occasion will usually wear a hip-length tailored jacket, known as a Nehru jacket, made of white silk. This is usually accompanied by a wraparound piece of cloth on the lower body and long white socks.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Women traditionally wear a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sinh<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which is a handmade, silk skirt with a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">suea pat<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a long-sleeved shirt which is wrapped around the body. The traditional dress for women in Laos is finished off with a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">pha biang<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, a thin garment which is women over one shoulder.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2><b>Laos Traditional Wedding Dress<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laos wedding ceremonies are large, joyful occasions for celebration consisting of processions, parades, ceremonies and finally, a wedding reception.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The traditional wedding dress for a bride in Laos consists of a silk sinh and blouse. The outfit is completed with gold jewellery, a bell and gold hair decoration.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you\u2019re lucky enough to be invited to celebrate a Laos wedding, you may want to wear traditional Laos clothing such as the components which make up the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">xout lao<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. If not, it\u2019s absolutely fine to wear a long dress or trousers, a shirt and a tie. As a sign of respect, women should wear a scarf to cover their bare shoulders.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Traditional Lao Names<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Laos, many children are \u2018nameless\u2019 for the first year or so of their lives. During this time it is common to be given a short, one-syllable nickname. This nickname, or <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">sue lin<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, often relates to a child\u2019s behaviour or appearance and can be unflattering to deter evil spirits. An example of a Lao sue lin is <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dham<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, meaning dark.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is also a tradition in Laos for grandparents to decide on the given, registered Lao name of a new baby. They are sometimes assisted by a local astrologer. Common prefixes for Lao names are <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bou- <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thong- <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">which are then followed by a suffix such as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Dara<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, which means star. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=&#8221;21966&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Laos Traditional Music<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The national instrument of Laos is the <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">kh\u00e8ne, <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">a mouth organ made up of around 8 pairs of bamboo pipes. The organ, which is typically 80 centimetres long and sounds like a violin when played, is featured in most of the traditional folk music in Laos. This type of Laos traditional music is known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lam.\u00a0<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In the 1960s, a new form of music developed in Laos known as <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">lam luang. <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This form of song tends to feature lyrics alongside the various musical instruments which are played.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can listen to some<a href=\"https:\/\/open.spotify.com\/playlist\/6PIhwFYl5paNWQ0UxMN2Ys\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> traditional Laotian music on Spotify.<\/a><\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2>Traditional Food in Laos<\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In Laos, fresh, tasty food is available on every corner. From traditional Laos street food stalls to food markets and local restaurants, there are different delicacies on offer to try throughout the day. The majority of the dishes you can try will be served with khao niew, a traditional Laotian sticky rice.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/food-northern-laos\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Traditional food in Laos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> includes fish steamed in banana leaves, ground meat salads, rice noodle soups and preserved pork sausages, all complete with fresh herbs, zesty lime juice and extra chillies if you like it spicy. One thing is for sure, you won\u2019t go hungry in Laos.<\/span>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space][vc_single_image image=&#8221;21963&#8243; img_size=&#8221;large&#8221; add_caption=&#8221;yes&#8221; alignment=&#8221;center&#8221;][vc_column_text]<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Do you want to discover the traditions of <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/laos\/holidays\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Laos<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> for yourself? <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.experiencetravelgroup.com\/make-enq?src=start_conversation_cta\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Get in touch<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with Experience Travel Group today to plan your unforgettable trip to Southeast Asia. <\/span>[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The fascinating traditions upheld in Laotian culture are vastly different to those in western society. Want to experience a fascinating insight into this unique culture? We\u2019ve got everything you need to know.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":17,"featured_media":21959,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[76],"tags":[1391,714],"coauthors":[934],"class_list":["post-21958","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-travel-news","tag-arts-culture","tag-local-life"],"aioseo_notices":[],"views":10813,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21958","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/17"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21958"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21958\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21958"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21958"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21958"},{"taxonomy":"author","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.experiencetravelgroup.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/coauthors?post=21958"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}