All posts filed under: Lao New Year

2019 Lao New Year festivities across America

Photo by Snap Pilots Sok di pi mai! One of the best times of the year is upon us. From gathering with friends and family to receiving blessings at the wat, let’s ring in the new year with good spirits. Below is a collection of Lao New Year events and festivities we could find — with some hopefully near you. It is by no means a complete list so if we missed any, please share! Arizona April 13-14 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) Wat Lao Thammaram 9501 N. 16th Ave., Phoenix, AZ 85021 Arkansas April 27-29 Wat Lao Santitham 4625 Armour St., Fort Smith, AR 72904 May 3-5 Wat Lao Buddharam 3317 N 23rd St., Fort Smith, AR 72904 California April 6 (6 p.m. – 1 a.m.) LNY celebration at La Sierra Community Center 5325 Engle Rd., Carmichael, CA 95608 April 6 (7 p.m.-midnight) –  April 7 (9 a.m.-5 p.m.) California Center for the Arts, Escondido 340 N. Escondido Blvd., Escondido, CA 92025 April 13 (10 a.m.-5 p.m.) Downtown Merced April 13 (8 a.m. – 5 p.m.) …

LCSC Washington Presents: 1st Annual Miss Lao Washington

For those that were lucky enough to be in the Seattle, WA area the weekend of the 7th of April–congratulations! I hope you were able to make it out to the 1st Annual Miss Lao Washington pageant to support the Lao Community Service Center of Washington’s (LCSC) quest for a Lao Community center, as well as, all the other services they provide for our community. Held at the Vasa Park Ballroom in Bellevue, WA, the fundraising event went from 4pm to 12am. While I’m not a pageant sort of person–I most definitely am a woman who wants to help raise Lao voices, stories, and to see us fully harness our powers and THRIVE as a community. I confess, outside of the Lao Writer’s Summit in Seattle, last June 2017, I haven’t really been to a Lao function too often. My nearly 10 years in NYC found me adrift from Lao community events–though I certainly threw my own dinner parties to honor different bouns. I wasn’t sure what to expect–but I was pleasantly surprised. Don’t get …