A highlight of the September semester is Pchum Ben (Ancestor's Day), an important festival unique to Cambodia where respect is paid to ancestors through the offering of food to monks. The modern day festival begins on the 15th day of the 10th month of the Buddhist calendar, and lasts 15 days. Each morning Cambodians gather at Wats before dawn culminating in 3 public holidays where Cambodians return to their birthplace to reunite with family and give offerings at their local Wat.
On Sunday, our volunteers visited Wat Udong and got to witness the ceremony of blessings and offerings at the pagoda,
and the spectacular view of the Cambodian countryside from atop Phnom
Udong.
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| Inside Wat Udong |
From 1618 to 1866, Phnom Udong was the Khmer capital and lies
40km north-west of the modern capital, Phnom Penh. A small mountain rises from the plains, dotted with stupas, shrines and a 40m tall golden Buddha.
Many Cambodians try to visit 7 or more pagodas during Pchum Ben to give offerings to their ancestors. Offerings consist of home cooked food, fruits, pre-made 'hampers' stuffed full of canned food, rice, and sometimes even new shoes for the monks. The most important day of Pchum Ben this year is September 28, when
most Cambodians will return to their province to give offerings at their local
pagoda.
We'll have some more photos of our volunteer's holiday activites after Pchum Ben, but for now here's some photos from Wat Udong:
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| A young boy outside Wat Udong |
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| The crowded entrance to offer monks food. |
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| Some Khmer food ready to be offered to the monks |
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| Monks accepting food to feed the ancestors |
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| Smiles greet you all over Cambodia |
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| Incense burns outside the offering hall |
