============================================================== To reach ALL SJD members, please send to sjd@satjadham.net ... Do NOT include any other addresses when sending to the list... Include as LITTLE of the original messages as possible........ Message sent by: LanXang Siengkhene *** Announcement: *** Please register for SatJaDham Fifth Annual conference at the website http://www.satjadham.org/sjd5sd/ ============================================================== The second big event along the shores of the Mekong River was a boat race. If you haven't seen one, you definitively need to see it. Apart from the boat race itself, the bravado of the boatmen was even more exciting. There, even without being in the boat yet, the boatmen would dance, sing and use such a foul language that if you were the opposite sex, you wouldn't dare to be in sight. Still, that didn't mean to harm anybody. It was just part of the event. That was why it was so colorful. Having one without the other was unthinkable. I wonder how these boatmen got so much energy. They rowed so fast, so hard for such an extended period of time and still they had energy left to stand up in their boat and did all kinds of things similar to what they did before getting on board. Some said that Lao people spent too much time having fun that they were unproductive. To me, that was what made Lao people unique. One year, my house, in fact the post office, became a host to one of the boat racing teams. You could guess that how exciting the environment was. First, these boatmen were from the countryside. They tended to be more Lao than the city people. That was they played as part of their work. Also, they tended to exhibit their emotion more explicitly than the city people. I would say that I liked these people. Their honesty, simplicity of life and modesty would sure touch anybody who had a contact with them. That year, it happened that the team the post office supported finished the second place in the boat race, and I was glad for them for they really deserved every bit of it. I would also said that Lao people had a liking for the boat racing. Everywhere it was held, whether in a town or a village, people would gather en masse to watch it. Some would stand in the sun or with the umbrella to cover their heads for hours just to savor the excitement of the event. For those who were not familiar with the boat racing, it was held in the 11th month of the Lao calendar (roughly the 10th month of standard calendar). That time, the water was at its peak as the rainy season was about to end. It was said that this boat racing was held to honor the Nak (the legendary serpent) who lived in the Mekong River. In a way, it was a Lao way to thank those who protect them as well gave a plentiful food to them. To Lao people, especially the ethnic Lao who lived along the shores of the Mekong River, both the Mekong River itself and all of its tributaries, this river was everything to them - a food haven, a transportation link. In short, it was a gateway to Lao civilization. It was where the Lao culture came into being, and it was where the Khene was heard the loudest. (to be contined) __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Send online invitations with Yahoo! Invites. http://invites.yahoo.com _ ***************************************************************** Visit SatJaDham Homepage at: http://www.satjadham.org (or .net) *****************************************************************