More about Pchum Ben

Sorry we have not posted a blog item recently we have been busy but also we haven't had a camera for a while as when we were out one dark moonless evening Angela cycled into a ditch and she went underwater along with her bike and handbag.She was OK once I hauled the bike off her and pulled her out of the ditch but she had a scratch that went infected with the water, this cleared up with antibiotic cream.Anyway the camera and mobile phone filled with water and dont work anymore.

We mentioned the gongs and chanting that went on during Pchum Ben ón our last post.

A tour around the local Pagoda Wat Leu identified an impressive array of huge drums and gongs  responsible for the sounds including a large unexploded bomb converted into a gong. Not sure which country would like to claim responsibility for this but as usual the monks waste nothing.

Pchum Ben is one of the most important holidays in Cambodia where Buddhism is the state religion and it is celebrated at Pagodas across Cambodia. I do not fully understand the ceremony and I can only offer the following information I have read and observed, apologies if some of it is wrong etc.

We live opposite a Pagoda so we are well aware of any ceremonies taking place and this particular one for feeding the spirits of the damned is not for late risers. The Pagoda loudspeakers begin their call in the 4 am blackness reminding Buddhists to make offerings and by the time the sun rises the ceremony is over and the ground littered with glutinous balls of rice. This is nourishment for the spirits of the damned and the damned only come out during the holiday and only at dark.

The call is repeated in the early morning each day of Pchum Ben which lasts for the first 15 days of the Khmer lunar month of Photrabot. This year the holiday began Sept 24 and ended Oct 8.

Before the rice balls are thrown to the ground in the ceremony, they are blessed and carried three times around the pagodas inner temple. Offerings are also made to the spirits of relatives and spirits without living relatives with celebrants bringing meals for monks later in the day.

Such offerings allow individuals to acquire merit; if anyone is grateful to their dead parents or others and in return does good to them they will receive merit. The offerings can also go to feed the dead who have been reborn in non human form such as small insect’s even ants.

It is believed that if you do not go to the pagoda to offer food to the monks and your dead cannot see you, you will be cursed.

During this time we went into the Pagodas grounds to have a look round and also to see the drums and gongs that awaken us early every morning. Although the English language class I teach is only small there are two students who are monks at the Pagoda and when I visit they always come over for a chat and to show us around.

Chris , Gong and Song the monk

The final evening there is a big celebration in the evening and when it is dark to say farwell to the spirits as they leave. Bamboo boats are floated on the river with lit candles and naked flames on bamboo torches as the boats are carried away by the strong river current at this time of year. I was very interested to see the boats being built out of nothing more than split bamboo and strips of rubber.

Bamboo boat being built in the Pagoda grounds

 The people making them were very skilled in making a large lattice structure very light and strong out of nothing more than slivers of bamboo. The candles were put in condensed milk tins and nailed to the boat.

The sides for the boat being made out of slivers of bamboo

So we first looked at the boats being built in the pagoda and then next saw them when they had been taken across the road and placed ready to receive incense sticks and lit candles and then placed on the river.

The same bamboo boat now adrift on the river as thespirits sail away

Smaller boats were brought by families and placed on the water with offerings of money (fake) and food placed aboard.

Families boats with offerings prior to being put on the river to float away

Chris and firework

 On the final night large crowds lined the river and many fireworks were lit and thrown about. The Cambodians currently handle fireworks like we were allowed to 40 years ago. I bought a long stick of explosive fireworks for 40p and had great fun lighting it and pointing it out over the river.

Other offerings being made

An advantage of being here for two years is that next time the celebration comes around we will know what to expect and build on our knowledge and enjoyment and order in the thicker earplugs!

listen carefully I will only say this once!

Next day we were invited to another Pagoda by our friend Thin who used to be a monk and he showed us around the pagoda he helped to build and we also joined in the celebrations there.

Beer tastes better in the morning!



As with most celebrations there is always an excuse for drinking and in this case we were invited to  Thin's brothers house to drink a case, 24 cans of beer, at 11.00am and to have some food.