2025 -- S 1078

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LC002892

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     STATE OF RHODE ISLAND

IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY

JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025

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S E N A T E   R E S O L U T I O N

COMMEMORATING LAO NEW YEAR (PI MAI LAO): A CELEBRATION OF RENEWAL,

CULTURE, AND RESILIENCE ON APRIL 14 – APRIL 16, 2025

     Introduced By: Senators Bissaillon, LaMountain, Sosnowski, Rogers, Urso, Appollonio,
Britto, Vargas, DiPalma, and Paolino

     Date Introduced: May 15, 2025

     Referred To: Recommended for Immediate Consideration

     WHEREAS, Lao New Year, known as Pi Mai Lao or Songkran is annually observed in

April or May 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 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, and building sand stupas, and 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 led to significant trauma. But in the face of these hardships, they showed

remarkable resilience, in part by preserving their language, customs, and faith in 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 is a symbol of 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 2023 US Census Data, there are approximately 245,045

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 disruption of the 1970s, and entered

refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River, many of whom then 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

moment to reflect on the community’s struggles, and a time to honor its ancestors, and celebrate

its enduring heritage; now, therefore be it

     RESOLVED, That this Senate of the State of Rhode Island hereby commemorates Lao

New Year “Pi Mai Lao”, and extends best wishes to the Lao people on the occasion of Lao New

Year and wishes 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 Abbot Wern Sipasouck of Temple Wat Lao in

Smithfield.

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LC002892

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