Photo Gallery

Wat Xieng Thong Boat Shelter

The boat shelter is located inside the monastery grounds toward the west side of the river entry. Although the structure is just a plain open shed and definitely are not historical architecture, the two handcrafted boats it protects symbolize an important part of Lao culture. The boats of Wat Xieng Thong are also highly regarded because of the historic importance of this monastery. They are decorated with gold stenciling on black lacquer, as are a number of the buildings of the wat.

Many Laotian wats (which are also neighborhood centers) have such boats that or are used for the major races in April and October. There is much colorful competition in these events, especially along the Mekong. Wats also compete with each other as monks and novices (and others) build highly decorated boats of bamboo and tissue paper to use in the festival and to symbolize the journey through the sea of life.

Text by Robert D. Fiala, Concordia University, Nebraska, USA