2025 -- H 6340
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LC002865
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S T A T E O F R H O D E I S L A N D
IN GENERAL ASSEMBLY
JANUARY SESSION, A.D. 2025
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H O U S E R E S O L U T I O N
COMMEMORATING LAO NE W YEAR (PI MAI LAO): A CELEBRATION OF RENEWAL,
CULTURE, AND RESILIENCE ON APRIL 14 – APRIL 16, 2025
Introduced By: Representatives Slater, Shekarchi, Blazejewski, Chippendale, Diaz,
Edwards, Ajello, Shallcross Smith, Fogarty, and Fellela
Date Introduced: May 15, 2025
Referred To: House read and passed
WHEREAS, Lao New Year, known as Pi Mai Lao or Songkran is annually observed in 1
April or May to mark the beginning of the Lao solar new year and is the most significant and 2
widely celebrated holiday in Lao culture; and 3
WHEREAS, The holiday is celebrated with a festival symbolizing renewal, purification, 4
and hope for a prosperous future, and includes the traditional customs of ceremonial pouring of 5
water, representing the washing away of misfortunes and bad luck, and the welcoming of health, 6
happiness, and good fortune; and 7
WHEREAS, Additional celebrated customs include Baci (Sou Khuan) ceremonies, 8
offering alms to monks, cleaning homes and temples, and building sand stupas, and water 9
splashing celebrations; and 10
WHEREAS, For Laotian people around the world, Pi Mai is not only a celebration, but 11
also a time to honor their history and cultural identity. Following the Laotian Civil War and the 12
fall of the Royal Lao Government in 1975, many Lao families were forced to flee their homeland, 13
resettling in countries like the United States as refugees. These events fractured families, 14
disrupted traditions, and led to significant trauma. But in the face of these hardships, they showed 15
remarkable resilience, in part by preserving their language, customs, and faith in new homelands; 16
and 17
WHEREAS, There are two Lao flags, one representing the past and one signifying the 18
present. The first is the Royal Kingdom of Laos Flag which features red stripes with a white 19
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three-headed elephant under a parasol on a blue background, and represents the former Kingdom 1
of Laos (1947–1975), which for many is a symbol of their origins, freedom, and the homeland 2
they were forced to leave behind. The second is the National Flag of the Lao People’s Democratic 3
Republic (Lao PDR), which consists of red-blue-red stripes with a white circle, and is the official 4
flag of the current government, adopted in 1975, and represents the nation of Laos today; and 5
WHEREAS, According to the 2023 US Census Data, there are approximately 245,045 6
people in the United States who identify as Laotian alone, the majority of which are men, women 7
and dependents of refugees who escaped Laos during the disruption of the 1970s, and entered 8
refugee camps in Thailand across the Mekong River, many of whom then emigrated to the United 9
States during the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s; and 10
WHEREAS, Rhode Island has a vibrant Laotian American community that has enriched 11
the State’s cultural fabric by contributing to civic life, education, public service, business, music, 12
dance, and especially cuisine, and it is important to recognize and celebrate Pi Mai as a proud 13
moment to reflect on the community’s struggles, and a time to honor its ancestors, and celebrate 14
its enduring heritage; now, therefore be it 15
RESOLVED, That this House of Representatives of the State of Rhode Island hereby 16
commemorates Lao New Year “Pi Mai Lao”, and extends best wishes to the Lao people on the 17
occasion of Lao New Year and wishes everyone a healthy, prosperous, and joyful “Pi Mai”; and 18
be it further 19
RESOLVED, That the Secretary of State be and hereby is authorized and directed to 20
transmit a duly certified copy of this resolution to Abbot Wern Sipasouck of Temple Wat Lao in 21
Smithfield. 22
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LC002865
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