By Chen Aonan, Wang Yang and Fan Lingyu in Changsha

Do you know that? Lao New Year of the Buddhist Era is celebrated every year on April 13th-15th or 14th-16th.

Lao Buddhist New Year is also called Water-Splashing Festival. Every year, the New Year festival, which is the most important festival in Laos, closely unites people from all ethnic groups.

On April 8th, with the arrival of the Lao Buddhist New Year, the Consulate General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Changsha hosted a New Year reception. Guests from the government, business and academic circles in the consular district of the Consulate General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic in Changsha sang and danced together, prayed for the coming year, tied the thread to wrists and sent blessings by splashing water.

The white thread tied to the wrist can't be removed until three or seven days. Laotians pray for good health and fortune in the new year by tying strings.

Water-Splashing is even more interesting. To convey best wishes for the new year, they use white or yellow fresh flowers that have been dipped in water and splashed on people's hands or bodies. 

In Vientiane, the capital of Laos, there is a famous "Hunan Street" with over 100 stores, more than half of which are run by Shaodong people from Hunan Province. "Walking in the streets of Laos, as long as you can speak Hunan dialect, you won't get lost", a saying goes in Chinese circles in Laos.

On December 23rd, 2017, the Consulate General of the Lao People's Democratic Republic was officially opened in Changsha. It is the bond connecting Laos and Hunan which has promoted culture and tourism exchanges and cooperation in different fields.

你知道吗？每年4月13日-15日(或14日-16日)，是老挝传统的佛历新年。

老挝佛历新年，也叫“泼水节”。每年新年的庆祝，都会将老挝各民族人民紧紧团结在一起，是老挝最重大的节日。

4月8日，老挝佛历新年来临之际，老挝驻长沙总领事馆在长沙举行新年招待会。来自老挝驻长沙总领事馆领区的政商学界嘉宾一起，载歌载舞，祈福来年，互拴手绳，泼水送祝福。

拴在手腕上的白线，要等三或七天之后才能取下。老挝人用拴线来祈祷来年身体健康，万事如意。

泼水就更有意思了，他们用白色或黄色的花蘸水泼在人们的手上或身上，带去对新的一年美好的祝愿。

在老挝的首都万象，有一条著名的“湖南街”，100多家店，超过一半都是湖南邵东人开的。老挝华人圈子里流传着这样一句话：“走在老挝的大街小巷，只要你会说湖南话，就不会迷路。”

2017年12月23日，老挝驻长沙总领事馆正式开馆。这不仅是连接老挝和湖南之间的纽带，同时也促进了两地之间文化、旅游、贸易等多方面的合作与交流。