Alms giving - ຕັກບາດ tak baad
You may often come across photos of Buddhist monks walking alongside Laotian city streets barefooted and with bucket-like bins along their sides.
This is called alms giving - ຕັກບາດ tak baad.
It is a daily religious tradition that occurs around 6am to 8am around towns, where monks walk down the street in total silence to collect food and other offerings from local people. In return, spiritual merit is given to the almsgivers.
A few things to note when partaking in ຕັກບາດ tak baad
- Prepare offerings in advance
- Arrive before sunrise before the ceremony occurs
- Remove shoes & socks
- Female participants must keep their head lower than the monks
- Never hand any gifts directly to the monk, you must place it in their bowl
- Avoid making direct eye contact with the monks
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