Baci Ceremony: Spirit Calling, Boiled Chickens and Moonshine

Nothing encapsulates the Lao psyche so well as the Baci (or su kwan, ‘calling of the soul’) ceremony.  In Lao belief, the human being is a union of 32 organs that are each watched over and protected by kwan, vital forces that give harmony and balance to the body...

The Baci ceremony is meant to call wandering kwan back to the body and, thus, reestablish equilibrium.  The ceremony emphasizes the values of life and forgiveness, of family and social bonds, of renewal and paying respect to heavenly (or spiritual) beings.  It celebrates any and every special events from marriages or welcomings to birth, death or sickness, and annual festivals. 

To help people discover the ‘real Laos,’ the past few times in Ban Kong Lor, a small traditional village outside the famous 7km. cave, we organized a Baci ceremony at a local home (owned by a friend of one of the drivers).  The main feature of the ceremony is the Pha Kwan, an arrangement consisting of a bowl from the top of which sprouts a cone of banana leaves containing flowers (symbolizing longevity, happiness, and love) and cotton threads attached to bamboo stalks.  Usually it is assembled by older women in the community.  Around the base of the Pha Kwan is food for the kwan, or spirits, usually consisting of:

-       eggs symbolizing the fetus- everything always has to do with sex if you didn’t find this out already

-       fruits and lollies symbolizing the forming of a community or the coming together of several parts (not too sure about how they came about the symbolism for this one…I guess everyone likes candy…)

-       a whole boiled chicken including head, feet and everything (for divination purposes of course)

-       a bottle of whiskey for ‘purification’            

The whole ensemble- bowl, banana plant, chicken, whiskey and whatever else- is placed in the centre of the main room, with the person(s) for whom the shebang is being held) sitting at the opposite side of the table from the maw pawn, the village elder officiating the ceremony.

The ceremony usually opens with everyone touching the pah kwan  (or a person close to them that is touching the pah kwan) as the maw pawn chants a Buddhist mantra and calls upon the wandering kwan to return to the body of the person for whom the ceremony is being held.  After he is finished chanting, the maw pawn places a shot of lao whiskey into the upturned hand extended by the honoured recipient and ties a cotton thread from the pha kwan around his/her wrist.  While tying the thread, he says a chant that strengthen the power of the blessings which have already been given.  When the thread is tied and the chant is said, the recipient has to skull the whiskey shot for good luck.  The process of tying, chanting, and skulling is repeated for everyone participating in the ceremony.  To close the ceremony, everyone again touches the pah kwan while a closing chant is being said by the maw pawn and everyone shares a meal as a member of the community.  The white strings (which represent peace, good fortune, continuity and brotherhood), are worn for at least three days after the ceremony (or preferably until they fall off by themselves).  After three days or after they fall off, many Lao people place them in the temple for good luck and blessing.