So, Laos is a Buddhist country, but there is usually a pragmatic element adopted within the belief system. Here in Laos there is in every house or building a small house built to burn incense and offer gifts to the local spirits. This is a picture of a house built on the property that my teammates looked at buying. Apparently, the landlords send someone to offer incense, food, drinks, money, cigarettes, flowers or anything they think the spirit will like. You can see the burned sticks of incense to the left in the picture with flowers on the right.
These houses are sometimes attached to trees or sitting at the entrance to a restaurant (often off to the side in a nook or cranny). Sometimes, there will be a miniature Buddha statue within the small house. The houses are made as decorative and ornate as possible.
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