It is my understanding these monks can only eat food given to them early in the morning or by family etc. This tradition of giving to the monks has been followed for many years in Luang Prabang.
Some people believe that tourists should not be taking part in the ceremony unless you are a practising Buddhist, while others say it is okay as long as you are respectful and follow the rules.
I checked on some of the rules before taking part and hopefully followed them: feet bare while shoulders are covered seemed to be the etiquette most often mentioned. Never touch a monk nor look him in the eye are two things we should never do.
Two things bothered me about this whole procedure and although they are minor, I will still mention them. The first being the selling of the rice....it is supposed to be an offering from the home and heart, which obviously mine wasn't. The last was the bare handed giving of the rice...Alice was given a spoon, but I was told to grab a fingerful and toss it into their pail.
Both Alice and I, being novices at this, ran out of rice too quickly. Smaller portions are in order as there are nearly 200 monks taking part.
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