ບຸນພຣະເຫວດ – Boun Phravet

Boun Phravet
Boun Pavet or Boun Phravet or Boun Phra Vetsandon, is the Lao religious holiday that celebrates the parable of Prince Vessantara, the last pre-incarnation of the Buddha. The parable speaks of absolute charity.
“Once upon a time, in a kingdom called Sivirattha there reigned a king named Sanjaya and his wife Phusati. They lived in a beautiful palace in the city of Jetuttara. In time, Phutsadi, standing in a magnificent orchard of sala trees and holding firmly to a branch, gave birth to a beautiful little prince, and they named him Vessantara. Prince Vessantara was born at the same moment as a beautiful white elephant named Peccaya, which had the ability to bring rain. When Prince Vessantara reached the age of sixteen, he was strong and handsome, and was married to a beautiful Princess named Maddi. In time, they had two children: a son named Jali and a daughter named Kanhajina.
Prince Vessantara wanted to attain perfection, and to achieve that he knew that he needed to donate all his worldly possessions to others (super karma points). At the retirement of his father, Vessantara became king. It wasn’t long before eight Brahmins (upper class in the religious hierarchy) appeared from the rival state of Kalinga, which had experienced seven years of drought. They asked to have the white elephant Peccaya so that it could bring them rain instead. And so, seeking to attain perfection, Prince Vessantara gave them the elephant, and the eight Brahmins went away chuckling. Naturally, the people of Sivirattha were angry at the loss of their precious and beloved white, rain-bringing elephant, and they petitioned King Sanjaya to return to the throne, and to send Prince Vessantara into religious exile. And so this was done, although not before Prince Vessantara had held a goodbye alms-giving and distributed vast wealth to all who asked. It wasn’t long before Prince Vessantara had achieved his goal of absolute charity, including giving away everything he held precious, including his wife and children. And god, so moved by the extraordinary acts of charity, restored to Prince Vessantara, all that he had given away, including their beloved white elephant Peccaya. And as promised, upon his death, now King Vessantara was promoted to Lord Buddha”.
The festival of Boun Phravet is celebrated by acts of charity between the community and the temple, between families and their ancestors.