Commemorating Lao New Year (Pi Mai Lao): A Celebration of Renewal, Culture, and Resilience on April 14 – April 16, 2026

WHEREAS, Lao New Year, known as Pi Mai Lao or Songkran is annually observed in April to mark the beginning of the Lao solar new year and is the most significant and widely celebrated holiday in Lao culture; and

WHEREAS, The holiday is celebrated with a festival symbolizing renewal, purification, and hope for a prosperous future, and includes the traditional customs of the ceremonial pouring of water, representing the washing away of misfortunes and bad luck, and the welcoming of health, happiness, and good fortune; and

WHEREAS, Additional celebrated customs include Baci (Sou Khuan) ceremonies, offering alms to monks, cleaning homes and temples, building sand stupas, and joyful water- splashing celebrations; and

WHEREAS, For Laotian people around the world, Pi Mai is not only a celebration, but also a time to honor their history and cultural identity. Following the Laotian Civil War and the fall of the Royal Lao Government in 1975, many Lao families were forced to flee their homeland, resettling in countries like the United States as refugees. These events fractured families, disrupted traditions, and caused significant hardship and trauma. Yet, in the face of these hardships, the Lao people demonstrated remarkable resilience, by preserving their language, customs, and faith in their new homelands; and

WHEREAS, There are two Lao flags, one representing the past and one signifying the present. The first is the Royal Kingdom of Laos Flag, which features red stripes with a white three-headed elephant under a parasol on a blue background, and represents the former Kingdom of Laos (1947–1975), which for many symbolizes their origins, freedom, and the homeland they were forced to leave behind. The second is the National Flag of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic (Lao PDR), which consists of red-blue-red stripes with a white circle, and is the official flag of the current government, adopted in 1975, and represents the nation of Laos today; and

WHEREAS, According to the 20 US Census Data, there are an estimated 245,000 people in the United States who identify as Laotian alone, the majority of which are men, women and dependents of refugees who escaped Laos during the upheaval of the 1970s, and entered refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River, many of whom later emigrated to the United States during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s; and

WHEREAS, Rhode Island has a vibrant Laotian American community that has enriched the State’s cultural fabric by contributing to civic life, education, public service, business, music, dance, and especially cuisine, and it is important to recognize and celebrate Pi Mai as a proud opportunity to reflect on the community’s struggles, honor its ancestors, and celebrate its enduring heritage; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates Lao New Year “Pi Mai Lao”, on April 14-16, 2026 and extends best wishes to the Lao people on the occasion of Lao New Year, wishing everyone a healthy, prosperous, and joyful “Pi Mai”; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to the President of Temple Wat Lao in Smithfield, Mr. Phouangphet.