At a baci, also called su kwan or su khwan (“calling the soul”), white cotton strings are tied round the wrists of everyone taking part. A UNESCO case study describes it as a ceremony for invoking unity and restoring harmony of the individual and the community, practised in Laos and north-east Thailand.
Record, Folk and Modern are kept apart, and each one carries its source.
We did not find an early dated text, object or picture of the baci that we could check. It is a living custom, and the sources we read describe it as it is done today. If you know of an early dated account, we would like to hear of it.
A UNESCO case study of the Baci Su Kwan says the rite centres on an offering tray of food, banana leaves and flowers prepared by members of the community, and a respected elder, usually a former monk, recites Buddhist chants and mantras. White thread, standing for peace, good health and community solidarity, is tied round the right wrists of all the participants, and the ceremony ends with a shared meal. It is held for rites of passage such as marriages, ordinations and the birth of a child, and for someone recovering from illness, an accident or hardship, to gather the community’s support and bring the person back into community life. Wikipedia’s article adds that the thread goes on the person being wished well and on the wrists of all the guests who gather for them.
To verify: Who ties the strings: our sources say everyone taking part has one tied on, but not exactly who ties them
In May 2023 The Star, carrying a Laotian Times report, said Laos was planning to nominate the baci for UNESCO’s list of intangible cultural heritage. In April 2026 it reported, from the Vientiane Times, that the government was moving forward with plans to nominate the baci together with larb, the Lao meat salad. UNESCO’s list of files for its 2026 cycle, as we read it in November 2026, includes larb but not the baci. UNESCO’s case study notes that in Laos the ritual is also used to welcome guests to homestays and hotels. The strings are tied by people, for people: we do not sell them, ready-tied or otherwise, and our drawing shows plain string only.
To verify: Whether Laos has since sent a baci nomination to UNESCO, and when it may be examined
