A Comparative Study of Thai and Laos Temple Festival Dress

Aims of this research were to study Thai Buddhist temple festivals and Laos temple festivals, to compare Thai Buddhist temple festival dress with Laos temple festival dress, and to create the knowledge which can be useful for Thai attitudes and cultural perceptions, especially for Thai children and youth. The findings of the research disclosed that there are four temple festivals of Thai Buddhists in Thailand, namely Songkran Festival, Buddhist Lent Festival, Sart Thai Festival and End of Buddhist Lent Festival. There are five temple festivals of Laos Buddhists, namely Boun Ok Phansa Festival, Boun Pha Vet Festival, Boun Pi Mai Festival, Boun Khao Pradabdin Festival and Boun Khao Salak Festival. Thai Songkran Festival is similar to Boun Pi Mai Festival in Laos. Both are the celebration of new year. Sart Thai Festival has the same purpose as those of Laos, Boun Khao Pradabdin Festival and Boun Khao Salak Festival in marking merit traditions and honoring Ghosts and Ancestors. Boun Ok Phansa Festival in Laos is the same as End of Buddhist Lent Festival in Thailand, the Buddhists calebrate them by offering foods and other neccessories to monks. However, there are two temple festivals that are not alike. In Thailand, Buddhist Lent Fastival is a popular time for young thai men to ordained as a Buddhist monk. In Laos, Boun Pha Vet Festival is the celebration of the birth of Prince Vessanthara or Pha Vet, The Buddha?s penultimate existence. For temple festival dress, the two countries are alke : Buddhist men in Thailand and Laos wear stand-up collar, spread collar or round neck, hip-length shirts with long pants, loincloths or sarongs. Buddhist women in Thailand and Laos wear round neck, long or short sleeves blouses, and maxi tube skirts.