In Lao religious life, animistic beliefs do not stand apart from Theravāda Buddhism but permeate its ritual fabric. Offerings to phi—local, ancestral, and guardian spirits—are made alongside offerings to the Buddha, often at spirit houses or shrines in homes, villages, and temple precincts. Temple ceremonies and major undertakings, such as building or renovating religious structures, frequently begin with an acknowledgment of the land and guardian spirits before proceeding to more recognizably Buddhist rites. In this way, the moral and doctrinal framework of Theravāda is enacted within a world understood to be densely populated by spirits whose favor, or displeasure, has tangible consequences.

This integration is especially visible in the baci or su khuan ceremony, which lies at the heart of Lao ritual life. The ceremony rests on animistic notions of multiple soul-essences (khuan) that can wander or become unsettled, causing misfortune or illness. Through the tying of white strings around the wrists and the recitation of blessings, wandering khuan are called back and bound, restoring balance, health, and social harmony. Monks may participate with Buddhist chants and blessings, yet the underlying logic remains that of soul-stabilization and negotiation with an unseen, spirit-filled dimension. Such rituals accompany births, marriages, ordinations, recoveries from illness, and returns from travel, thereby weaving animistic concerns into every major life transition.

Healing, protection, and funerary practices further demonstrate this syncretic pattern. Illness and misfortune are often interpreted as disturbances caused by spirits or the loss of khuan, prompting families to seek both Buddhist blessings and the assistance of spirit specialists. Monks chant protective texts, sprinkle lustral water, and provide sacred threads or amulets, while other ritual experts may negotiate with or drive away offending spirits. Funerals combine Buddhist teachings on impermanence and merit-transfer with offerings meant to guide and appease the deceased’s spirit, ensuring a safe transition and preventing it from becoming dangerous to the living. Periodic offerings to ancestral spirits continue this relationship, existing in parallel with temple-based merit-making.

Seasonal and communal ceremonies also reveal how deeply animism shapes collective religious expression. Agricultural and rain-making festivals, as well as other major celebrations, blend Buddhist merit-making with propitiation of local spirits and powerful beings associated with the land and waters. Villages commonly recognize tutelary spirits who guard the community, and collective rituals to these beings reinforce social cohesion and moral order. House blessings and boundary-setting rites invoke both the protection of the Triple Gem and the guardianship of local spirits, using sacred threads and offerings to mark and secure space. Through such practices, Lao Buddhism becomes a “double-layered” religious world: formally Theravāda in doctrine and monastic leadership, yet continually animated by the presence and agency of spirits.