Sai Bat: The Alms Giving Ceremony

It was 5 in the morning, and the sky was still dark, but Luang Prabang was far from asleep.

Minutes after we sleepily and groggily walked down the street from our guesthouse, the first group of monks, clad in saffron and carrying their metal alms bowls, appeared at the end of the street. The monks walked silently and somberly, barefooted, through the streets of Luang Prabang.

It was time for "sai bat", the daily alms giving ceremony.

monks on their morning alms round

A Buddhist monk has only two possessions; his robes and his alms bowl. Having vowed to live an ascetic life, monks may not even use money to purchase food, instead, they rely on food donations from the community.

Every morning, before the first light of the sun has even begun to glow in the sky, the monks set out on their daily procession. The devout, kneeling on mats alongside the path the monks will take, wait with packages of sticky rice and other foods that they will place into the monks bowls. It's an act of good karma, and a way for laymen to help support the monastics.

Upon returning to their home monastery, the monks will share a single meal of the food they have received for the day.

waiting for monks outside of a temple

Sai Bat is practiced throughout the Buddhist world, even in Bangkok, but perhaps the most meaningful spot to witness this quiet, somber, and reverential act of religious devotion is in Luang Prabang, a very small town with a disproportionate number of Buddhist monks and important historic temples.

the morning alms giving ceremony

We weren't the only visitors out there that morning. While non-Buddhists are certainly allowed to donate to the monks, it's requested that they only participate if it would be meaningful to them. Participants must be dressed conservatively, must remove their shoes as they kneel on the mats, must not touch, speak to, or make eye contact with the monks, and must not take photos of the ceremony. Signs in Luang Prabang ask that those wishing to take photos stand on the opposite side of the street.

Happily, the tourists that we saw that morning were all behaving very respectfully.

It's my first time witnessing the Sai Bat, and I appreciate its significance. It's an ancient ritual dating back hundreds of years that creates an important tie between the monastery and the community. It's a beautiful moment.