The Shebang in Luang Prabang!

On the afternoon of the 20th February on the front lawn of the 3 Nagas Khamboua House the elders of the village will hold a wedding blessing ceremony for us. Once this is done, our families will be invited to be involved in a Basi, which is a traditionalc blessing ceremony that dates back to the times before Buddhism.

At the end of the Basi, white cotton threads (Lao Mat Khaen) are bound around the wrist. This tradition comes from the old belief that 32 souls are living in the body. The ceremony sends away any bad souls or negative energy so all that will remain are the pure, 32 good souls. The binding of the thread around your wrist ensures that the good souls do not leave and will need to be worn for 3 or 7 days.

The Basi ceremony will be followed by a traditional meal and dance (lam vong samakee). In our case, we'll be heading off to a piss up and French meal on the terrace of Le Calao, which is a 10 minute walk from the 3 Nagas.

We have been asked by a number of people about what we would like as a wedding gift. Whilst we don't believe that it is necessary (you are, afterall traveling a long way to get to Luang Prabang and that is enough of a gift for us!), we to understand that some of you may want to contribute something.

What we would really like to do is buy a few Rachel Newling limited edition lino cut prints, and are currently saving money to do this. Rachel Newling is an English born (but now Aussie) print maker who has been compared with the likes of Margaret Preston. We have chosen the prints that we would like to buy and they are below. If you are interested in her work, she has a fabulous website that you can view ...  (click here)..... We have a joint bank account set up and the details for it are as follows:

Bank: ANZ

Acccount Name: Kimberley Anne Gerard & Joseph Michael Komoroski

BSB: 012030

Account number: 492486835

For you guys from outside of Australia, you will need the following details:

Branch: G11 The Broadway Shopping Centre, Bay & Grose Street, Broadway, NSW, 2007, Australia

SWIFT Code: ANZBAU3M

"Gymea Lilly" by Rachel Newling

Hand painted lino cut 73cm x 52cm

Limited edition (50)

"Emu", by Rachel Newling.

Hand painted lino cut  49cm x 34cm

Limited edition (50)

 

"Big Red", by Rachel Newling.

Hand painted lino cut  49cm x 34cm

Limited edition (50)