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TRAVEL BLOG ENTRY
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The giving of alms in Luang Prabang is an amazing site. Luang Prabang is one of the largest cities in Laos and it is listed on the UNESCO as a world heritage site because the city is filled with temples (or wats as they call them here). This is where we spent Christmas. Every morning (not just around the holidays), the monks in their standard orange attire walk a specific route through the city carrying a bowl. The local people having prepared an offering of sticky rice or other foods line up on the sidewalk. Then, as the monks walk by the locals place a small amount of the offering prepared in each monks bowl. The giving of alms begins every morning at 6:30 am and finishes by 7:30 am. Simply watching hundreds of monks walk down the streets as the sun rises is beautiful.
Another observation we had while watching the giving of the alms is that many poor people (young and old who might otherwise beg on the street) also line up on the sidewalk holding plastic bags or dirty cardboard boxes. These people are simply in line with the people giving offerings. So when the monks walk by they give back to the poor by placing some of the offerings they received into the bags or boxes. It amazed me that such a wonderful tradition of giving alms to the monks also helps to feed the poor.
previous travel blog entry
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