In which thanks is given for rice

The most famous must-see event in Luang Prabang is the morning alms giving to the monks. From about 6 AM-7 AM the thousands of monks walk the streets with baskets, and all the locals come out to "make merit" by tucking a little something in their baskets: a ball of sticky rice, a candy bar, a dollar bill, an orange. It's just like trick-or-treating! Except those orange robe outfits are FOR REAL!



Since it is barely light outside, the morning mist is still on the mountains, and smoke is wafting down the streets from all the bonfires I've previously mentioned, it is incredibly mysterious-feeling to be looking down a dusky alley and suddenly see a procession of dozens of the orange-robed monks emerging from the haze. Mysterious, until you make it to the main Luang Prabang drag and there are all your tourists friends with flash-cameras running up and down the street like maniacs. Embarassed for us all, I retreated back to a more obscure dusky alley to watch my monks go past: much more serene and beautiful that way. My favorite aspect was the secondary economy of alms-giving: poor children run alongside the monks holding plastic bags, and any foods that the monks apparently don't like they take out of their baskets and re-deposit it in a kid's bag. I'm going to try that next Halloween and see if I get some Reeses Cups! Or sticky rice.