| R 236 |
| 2026 -- H 8421 Enacted 04/09/2026 |
| H O U S 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, 2026 |
Introduced By: Representatives Slater, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Morales, Chippendale, Diaz, Kennedy, Ajello, Fellela, and Boylan |
| Date Introduced: April 09, 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 2023 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. |
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| LC006025 |
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