Tak Bat

Every morning, at the break of dawn, hundreds of monks pass through the streets of Luang Prabang, receiving small amounts of sticky rice from pious townspeople. The monks are barefoot and meditating, showing the world they still live in humble and poor conditions. Their benefactors are giving them alms in the form of rice, thus paying their respect to the monks and Buddha. In return, they receive spiritual merit. This procession takes place every single day, not only in Luang Prabang but in many other places in Laos, and is called Tak Bat. It is a very quiet procession, the monks are meditating and no one is supposed to address them or disturb them by taking pictures with flash for example. Tourists are asked to be very discreet, watch from a distance and take pictures with zoom lenses. Unfortunately, not everyone bothers to inform themselves about tak bat and certain tourists run after the monks, poking their cameras into their faces. As a consequence, this ritual might soon be cancelled as it is becoming a tourist show rather than a spiritual exchange between monks and laypeople.