Festival of Lights in Laos

As we walked to a restaurant tonight in Luang Prabang, all of the many temples in the Main Street had extensive light displays. The festival coincides with full-moon and the end of the rainy season. A Lao information website explains it:

Boun Ok Phansa marks the end of Buddhist Lent when after three months of retreat, the monks return to their daily social activities. This is also a national public holiday in Laos which takes place sometime in October, near the end of the rainy season. During this time, followers gather at temples across the country, where beautiful candlelit processions are held in the evening, to give donations and offerings. Then, hundreds of colorful floats of flowers, incense, candles or even food and money are sent down the Mekong River, which means Mother of All Things, with the prayers to flow away all negativity
.