Lao Pee Mai and Nang Sangkan

By Ginger • April 12, 2008

We often hear of Nang Sangkan beauty pageant during Lao New Year, and in our area it’s called Nang Ngarm Lok Poong, Aka Balloon Beauty pageant where the one that gets the most balloons will win (which means lots of money spend on buying the balloons by family and friends,) and there are seven contestants, each one represents one of Kabinlaphom’s seven daughters.

(Photo by Savannakhet at Flickr)

The tale of Nang Sangkhan came about because of his seven daughters and Kabinlaphom whom lost a bet over a riddle of “In the morning, at noon and in the evening, where is the human wheel of life?” and it was correctly answered by Dharmabarn, the smartest man in the land, and the answer was: “1) In the morning, the wheel of life is on its face- that is why we wash our faces every morning. 2) At noon, the wheel of life is at its chest- that is why we wear perfume on our chests. 3) In the evening, the wheel of life is at its feet- that is why we wash our feet before going to bed.”

This was a bet for a head to see who was the smartest man, if Dharmabarn cannot answer the puzzle, he must sever his own head. If Dharmabarn is successful, Kabilaprom will sever his own head, and of course, Dharmabarn was correct. True to his promise, Kabilaprom cut off his own head. As Kabilaprom’s head was in the midst of decapitation, his seven daughters held out a big tray to catch their father’s head for fear that if his head fell into the earth, a great fire would engulf the planet. If the head is hurled in the air, the planet will suffer a catastrophic drought. If the head fell into the ocean, all the oceans would dry up. The daughters were faced with a predicament.

To keep their father’s head from touching the ground, the sky, or the water, they decided to keep the head suspended in a cave in a mountain of Phoukao Kailat, and last year our local temple brought in sand and made sand stupas, which are decorated with flags, white lines, and people would splash or pour perfumed water on them and as part of merit making, this to represent Phoukao Kailat and a reminder of the story of Kabilaprom. Every year, one of the daughters would retrieve the head and parade around with it, and that daughter is Nang Sangkan, the prettiest girl of the land.

From this story, on the third day of Pee Mai, Lao Buddhists choose a young lady to be the one who is bestowed the task of retrieving Kabilaprom’s head. The young lady is surrounded by six others representing the other six daughters of Kabilaprom. In modern day, this selection is done via a beauty pageant. Read full story from Wat Lao Soudharam in Phoenix, Arizona.

During Lao Pee Mai (New Year), there are many beauty pageants in Laos and abroad, but the one widely known for its Nang Sangkan pageant is Luang Prabang, Laos. At nightfalls during Pee Mai, we often have a big celebration that includes traditional Lao music, mor-lam, and ram-wong (circle dancing). During the daytime, friends and family gather at Wat (the Buddhist Temple) worshipping. It is a time for merit making, making a wish of good health and prosperity in the New Year and in the evening, people of all ages goes to the Wat for entertainment, and from what I can recall when I was little that there were big screen movie, and various types of stage shows. There are plenty of good Lao food from various vendors, and most donate the proceed to the temple as part of a fundraising. If I have a chance to visit Wat this year, I will share some photos with everyone.

If you are in Laos during Pee Mai, it is also known as a water splashing festival so be prepared to get wet, as Lao people are very friendly and will greet you with water splashing to ring in the new year. Below are photos from Trent Maynard at Flickr, celebrating Lao Pee Mai in Luang Prabang, Laos.