LOVE and other delusions

Last week was Macha Bucha Day. It was also Valentine's Day. Guess which one won Lao hearts?

Macha Bucha Day:

According to Buddhist tradition, about 2500 years ago Siddhartha Gautama had become the first Buddha after working out the meaning of life. He was wandering around northern India preaching and converting people to his new way of seeing the world when one full moon evening 1,250 men turned up spontaneously to listen in. These guys became his ordained monks. The Buddha taught them three basic principles: Cease from all evil; Do what is good; Cleanse one's mind.

The master and his apprentices

 So on the third full moon of the year Buddhists celebrate, go to the temple, walk around it carrying candles, pay respects to monks, the Buddha and the spirits of the area.

I saw none of this.

But I did see a lot of red hearts.

Florists the world-over score well on V's Day

Valentine's Day:

Young idealists and their money are soon parted

There are various myths and stories to explain who Saint Valentine was. Many consider the story about a bloke who secretly performed marriages for Roman soldiers to be the "real" St Valentine history. Around 500 years after Siddhartha sat under a tree, Mr Valentine was caught, thrown into gaol and slow-tracked into Christian martyr mythology and eventually into modern-day popular culture.

Gotta love pizza

It was around 1300 that the "romantic love" concept took hold and then love hearts and cupids and greeting cards came into their own.

Christian martyrs, Buddhist beginnings, whatever. Here in Laos, religious fervour has been tempered by communist ideology.  Unlike Thailand where Macha Bucha is so important that even selling alcohol is banned that day (aarrgghhh!!!), in Laos we hardly noticed. We were too busy buying and receiving gorgeous bouquets, hanging love hearts from trees and dodging soft toys crowding our footpaths.

Blocking the footpath with dust-catchers

 

Even I scored a bunch

I think there's something ironic about celebrating romantic love on a day when most citizens are expected not to commit sins, do only good and purify one's mind.

I scoff at such silliness, such overt capitalist opportunism and waste of money on short-lived flowers and dust-collecting fluffy toys. But I still smile indulgently when confronted with that ridiculous human weakness known as optimism. Especially when it's young, idealistic lovers getting excited about plastic crap to demonstrate their emotional, hormone-induced delusions. (And people call me cynical! huh!).

I did actually spend the evening having fun, feeling appreciated and watching a couple of musical friends who constantly remind me that sometimes people really can experience a love that lasts.

Kymbalao - croonin' and lovin'.