V.

Culture

Ethnic Lao culture is closely entwined with Buddhism, but the country’s ethnic diversity produces a corresponding cultural diversity. Painting is not a highly developed art form, but music, dance, weaving, and embroidery are.

A.

Literature and Poetry

Universal to the literature and poetry of Laos, as well as to its dance, music, and sculpture, are oral myths and legends based on the Phra Lak Phra Lam, the Lao version of the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. This tale of Rama, a prince and the seventh incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, is known and loved throughout Southeast Asia. Other popular Lao literature includes the Jatakas, stories of previous incarnations of the Buddha. Both the Phra Lak Phra Lam and the Jataka tales contain moral metaphors enacted through rigorous battles in which good always triumphs over evil. Favorite stories tell how heroic princes defeat powerful demons. During the Vietnam War, popular literature told of love and the heroism of young soldiers. Since 1975 political censorship has limited the flowering of Lao literature.

B.

Architecture and Sculpture

The precepts of Theravada Buddhism dictate the principles of Lao architecture and inspire the scenes that are often carved or painted in murals on temple walls. A typical temple compound includes a structure for ordaining new monks, a library for storing scriptures, living quarters for the monks, and various shrines for storing relics of the Buddha. Temples have high-peaked, tiered, outward-curving roofs, which in the northern style descend to within 2 m (6 ft) of the ground. The form of the Lao temple and its roof decoration reflect the influence of Thai architecture. Lao innovations include the tiered roof style that curves near to the ground, and a bronze roof ornament with five spires that symbolizes the Hindu Mount Meru. Laos’s most sacred Buddhist shrine is the 16th-century That Luang stupa in Vientiane.

Sculpture, too, has been mainly in the form of images of Buddha, from huge temple statues to small images done in gold or silver. While standing Buddha images assimilate Khmer (Cambodian) and Thai influences, seated images reveal characteristics that are uniquely Lao, such as extended earlobes, tightly curled hair, and long hands and fingers.

C.

Arts and Crafts

For centuries Laos has been renowned for the fineness and intricacy of its silk weaving with its use of gold and silver threads. Hmong and Mien peoples produce embroidery with figured and geometric designs. Whole villages may specialize in a particular craft, such as making pottery or working silver. For example, people living in the mountains make an array of silver jewelry from coins to wear with their traditional dress, and people in the Vientiane region make silver boxes for betel chewing, bowls, and other items decorated with scenes from the Phra Lak Phra Lam.

D.

Music and Dance

The classical music and dance of Laos was inspired by the court dances of India, Cambodia, and Thailand. Its themes draw from Hindu mythology, the Buddhist Jataka tales, and local legends. The royal entourage of Lao kings traditionally included musicians, and a typical orchestra improvised songs with sets of tuned gongs, xylophones, a bamboo flute, and other wind instruments.

Folk music and dance are favorite pastimes in rural Laos, and each ethnic group has its own folk dances, which frequently portray scenes drawn from daily life, nature, and love. Couples usually dance the slow and graceful lamvong, though young Lao prefer a faster beat. The most popular folk music instrument is the khaen, a large bamboo mouth organ.

E.

Theater

Lao theater also reflects influence from India and Cambodia. Ballet for the court accompanied by an orchestra developed in the 16th and 17th centuries. Dancers wearing elaborate costumes and headdresses with masks portrayed scenes from the myths and tales of the Phra Lak Phra Lam. Lao folk theater with narrative, singing, and music is popular at temple fairs.

F.

Museums and Libraries

The former Royal Palace in Louangphrabang has been turned into a museum. It contains a collection of Buddha images from the 15th to the 17th centuries as well as personal possessions of the last Lao monarch. Ho Phakeo in Vientiane is the national museum and houses a collection representing the variety and originality of Lao culture from the 6th to the 20th centuries. Wat Sisaket in Vientiane also contains a collection of Lao art. The National Library in Vientiane is poorly stocked, although it does house a collection of palm-leaf manuscripts.