Saturday, October 10, 2015

Pchum Ben ~ Festival of Souls (Phnom Penh, Cambodia) - 10 October 2015

The two major Cambodian holidays are the Khmer New Year and Pchum Ben (pronounced 'choom bun'). The latter is a 15-day celebration in which many Cambodians pay respects to their deceased relatives of up to 7 generations. During this 15-day period, many Cambodians believe that they have to visit 7 different pagodas to offer food to the monks and pray to their ancestors to receive protection and blessings at home. The final 3 days, which fall on October 11-13 this year, are the most important days of Pchum Ben. Like the Khmer New Year, many Cambodians return to their provinces to celebrate Pchum Ben with their family. As such, the streets in Phnom Penh this week have emptied out and consequently, there was a nice respite in the traffic. The peace was very much welcome. I visited a pagoda near my home today to catch the festivities, and I was captivated by the display of faith, respect, generosity, and family-togetherness ~ such great values to impart to the young.

As I have the coming week off from work, I will be heading out to Mondulkiri for a change of environment. Stay tuned for the next post!

Above: It's customary for families to bring food for the monks during Pchum Ben ~ this was the largest potluck feast I've laid my eyes on yet. I was stunned.

Above: The great buffet typically begins after 11AM when the monks stop eating for the day ~ others from all walks of life then come to share in the feast

Above: This was where people emptied their food from their containers/tins onto bowls provided by the pagoda. People then lay the bowls on the buffet table; I think these women were nuns

Above left: A graceful and beautiful Khmer woman; Above right: Kids I met horsing around outside ~ they were offering incense sticks to people for a small token

Above: When you give to one, others will come... this woman was hounded, but she took it in stride :)

Next post: Sen Monorom and Pulong Village, Mondulkiri, Cambodia - 11 & 12 October 2015
Previous post: The Deluge of September 3, 2015 - Phnom Penh, Cambodia

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