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Someone would ask that why we, Lao people, pour water
on one another on Pimai Lao.  First, it was a very
creative idea to do so as April was the hottest month
in Laos.  Being soaked by water, even for a while,
made you cool and the day seemed more bearable. 
Second, it was a way to say "Thank you" to those we
love and respect.  And thirdly, it became our way of
life a very long time ago.  It was said that Pha Phom
(Indra) came down from heaven to ask the wise man who
could answer any questions.  His questions were:
1. What is the sacred part in the morning?
2. What is the sacred part in the afternoon?
3. What is the sacred part in the evening?

Regrettably, the wise man couldn't answer these 3
questions.  Part of the bet was that if the wise man
couldn't answer the questions, his heart would be
taken away.  At the same time, if he could, Pha Phom
would give him his head.  The wise man had 3 days to
come up with the right answers.

It was said that the wise man had to leave his home
for he couldn't bare the thought that he got no
answers for Pha Phom's questions.  He decided he
rather went to the jungle and died there than baring
the shame.  Fortunately, on the third day, while
resting under the big tree, two vultures were talking
about how lucky they were to eat the corpse of the
wise man at the end of the third day.  Oblivious of
the fact that someone might overhear the conversation,
the male vulture divulged the answers to Pha Phom's
questions.  And the answers were:
1. the face
2. the chest
3. the feet
(it was called the sacred part because we wash our
face in the morning, rub water on our chest in the hot
afternoon, and again wash our feet before going to
bed)
Of course, those were the correct answers therefore
they helped save the wise man's skin. At the same
token, it meant that Pha Phom's head had to be cut as
part of the deal.  Before death, he told his daughters
to take turns holding his head on certain days of the
year so that his head wouldn't burn the earth.   For
some reasons, this tradition was adopted by Lao, Thai
and Khmer people as part of their cultures.  Later,
those days were called "Pimai" which we celebrate up
to the present moment. 

(to be continued)


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