Pi Mai Lao or Lao New year is the liveliest holiday of the year and one that everyone looks forward to, as it is a time when many people visit their families all over the country.
Despite the Communist takeover in the mid-1970s, Laos remains a Buddhist country in everything but name. Patriotic holidays are still celebrated in this landlocked country, but only on Buddhist holidays do the Lao people let their hair down and celebrate.
Water purified for drinking purposes is simply called nam deum (drinking water), whether it is boiled or filtered.