Hong hab Kak

A long time ago a nice couple in a Lao Kingdom said to the other one, “Honey let’s call this room, hong hab Kak.”   The other one replied, “Sound good to me!   What else can we call it? It’s to receive them.”   The thing a bout Laotian and naming is there is a history to everything.   A long time ago we received a lot of Kak.   Kak is what Laotians described a person who supposedly came from the Continent of India.   Hong is a Laotian word for a room and hab is to receive. So hong hab Kak is literary a “room to receive Indians” or a guest room.  Like most homes in the world, a Laotian home would consist of a praying room (since we are mostly Buddhists, bed rooms, living room, dinning room, kitchen, bathroom, and a guest room (hong hab kak).   It is customary for Laotians to host their guests with pride and dignity offering their guests quarter and all that good stuffs.

The story goes that a lot of Indian people come to visit the Laotian people to trade, exchange culture, and what not. They normally came in some type of envoy, their “truth and non violent” way.   They always have a good reason to visit especially with the leaders. The Laotian always had to be prepared to receive these out of town and country guests.   They dressed up their hong hab Kak to impress the Kak.   “We have got to show them we got culture too,” said great great great granny.   Nowadays, to receive a kak simply means to receive a guest, any guest.

Laotians often joke around, “Oh, you came as Kak today?”   The statement means “You came as a guest today?   This saying refers to a person who came to a function or an event as a guest.   Some people can say this in joking way or even in sarcastic way to their close friends who always come over to eat but never help prepare the meal.   You may have heard some people say, “Kak boh mee nuat” meaning Kak without a beard.   This usually refers to a Laotian who acts like a Kak. A Kak to Laotians also means a guest or a dignitary of a sort.   Today, “Mee kak si ma” means “We will be receiving guests today”.

What is your hong hab Kak looks like?