november 29, 2004

basi

Nu er foreldrene dratt hjem til Norge, kulde og julestri. Reisen boer gaa godt for i gaar arrangerte vi en basi seremoni i heimen. Dette er Laotisk tradisjon :






Basi is a traditional Lao ceremony of well wishing, dating back to the times before Buddhism was widely accepted as the main religion of Lao people. It is celebrated on many occasions; for example to please the house spirit, to thank the spirits after a family member recovered from illness, after a woman gave birth to a child and also before one of the family members leaving for a long journey. Baci was mostly held within the family.




During the ceremony all members of the family as well as invited relatives and friends are sitting around the "Pha Khouan", a traditional bouquet of flowers. An older man of the village is conductingthe ceremony by leading preaches and good wishes for health, prosperity, safe travel or whatever may seem important.



At the end of the ceremony white cotton threads are bound around the wrists of the participants (called in "Lao Mat Khaen"). This tradition comes from the old belief that 32 souls are living in the people' body. Wishing all bad souls or bad influences leaving and all 32 good souls staying in the body is accompanying the binding which finally mean to not let the souls leave the body. The threads should be worn for 3 or 7 days.




Etterpaa spiser vi mat og drikker drikke til det er tomt. Vi begynte klokkaa 10 paa morran og klokka 10 paa kvelden var det tomt. Hele selskapet kostet meg 100 dollar. Og det er det verdt.

Sjefen min fortalte meg forresten igaar at jeg ikke kunne dra hjem 9 desember som jeg har bestilt likevel. Han skulle nemlig sjoel vaere bortreist fram til 15 desember og etterpaa det skulle vi ha avskjedsfest sa han. Saa da saa. Jeg maa jo nesten faa meg avskjedsfesten.

Igaar fikk jeg ogsaa jobbtilbud fra naboen som driver med konsultasjon for utenlandske firmaer som skal etablere business i Laos. Jeg vet ikke jeg, akkurat naa har jeg hvertfall ganske lyst paa skiturer i maaneskinn, silkefoere og 10 grader minus.