Pchum Ben - Feeding the Spirits 22 Sep 2014 - 24 Sep 2014 Also called Ancestors Day or Festival of the Dead, Pchum Ben is, according to legend, a time where spirits of deceased relatives and ancestors walk the earth, and people visit their local temples to pay their respects by offering rice and food to eat. Packing food for Pchum Ben, Cambodia Packing food is an important part of the Pchum Ben preparations in Cambodia...Nom Ansom is very popular. Running for 15 days, usually towards the end of September or October, the fifteenth day of the tenth month of the Khmer Calendar marks one of the most traditional and colourful festivals in Cambodia with people dressing up in traditional clothing to visit their local pagodas with food and offerings and pay respect to their ancestors. Literally speaking, Pchum Ben, or more precisely Prachum Benda, can be translated to gathering together to make offerings, and thats exactly what families do when they visit the pagodas. Bonn Pchum Ben lasts for 15 days with the last three days being the most important. Pchum Ben day is the fifteenth and final day of the Pchum Ben festival with its finale where many families gathering in mass for the festivities at the local Buddhist temple. The days leading up to the last day of Pchum Ben are, however, also of great importance as families visit the pagoda many days, and in some cases every day, for fourteen days prior to the end of the celebration. These days are called Kann Ben and each Kann is numbered up to fourteen. Each morning before sunrise on Kann Ben, traditional foods are prepared for the spirits to enjoy. Some traditional favourite foods for Phcum Ben: Nom ansom chrouk - a delicious savoury sticky rice dish wrapped in banana leaves with assorted fillings. Chrouk is with pork. Nom ansom cheik - also a delicious sticky rice dish wrapped in banana leaves. This one is sweet and filled with bananas. Nom kom - a tasty sticky rice and bean dish, wrapped in banana leaves with either sweet or savoury fillings Nom kmei - similar to nom kom, but with filled with grated coconut and palm sugar Amok - a traditional and hugely popular fish dish steamed in banana leafs with a variety of mixed spices and herbs Bai ben - sticky rice moulded into balls with sesame seeds The Bai Ben is also prepared and thrown around the temple grounds for lost souls or those who have no relatives alive to send offerings. Urns of ancestors placed at the temples are cleaned and taken to a main prayer room. Names of ancestors are listed and invited to in the celebrations, if they do not receive an invite they are unable to receive offerings. At the end of the day participants will join the monks in prayer and chanting in the main prayer room called a ‘viheara’. Prior to the midday sun, candles and incense sticks are lit and the food preparations are given the monks. The invitation list with names of ancestors are read out loud and then burned. This ritual is performed to allow the ancestral souls to where their families are. It is said to that families then come together to celebrate and commemorate life. After eating the foods prepared, the monks pray and shower holy water over families and their ancestors. This time is a spiritual time of remembrance and to receive good karma that the ancestors are said to bring them with them. On the last day of Pchum Ben, the above ceremony is performed on a larger and grander scale. The importance of the last day is centred around those souls who may have bad karma, Priad spirits, as this is the only day that they may receive offerings and it’s said that they could benefit from the good karma going around. It is believed that Priads are afraid of light and will only connect with their living relatives during the darkest day of this lunar cycle, the day of Pchum Ben and receive prayers and offerings. Reincarnation is deeply enrooted in Cambodian and Buddhist culture, and Pchum Ben is a time of reunion, remembrance and celebration. When families have the opportunity to show appreciation for ones ancestors and show their love for them. The offerings of food and good karma may aid lost souls and guide them back into the cycle of reincarnation. If ancestors are reincarnated, their second chance is to collect good karma for themselves and nurture a peaceful inner spirit this is the final blessing living relatives wish for their ancestors. People in Cambodia are happy to share their culture and traditions, but, as always, dress respectfully should you be invited to a local pagoda. Legs and shoulders should be covered so shorts and singlets are best avoided.
Posted on: Tue, 09 Sep 2014 06:29:22 +0000
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