Pchum Ben Holiday
- Lauren Achen
- Oct 11, 2018
- 4 min read
Updated: Oct 25, 2018
I've officially celebrated my first holiday in Cambodia, Pchum Ben Day! For those that don't know, Pchum Ben Day is a 15 day holiday where individuals travel to their home villages to pay their respects to their ancestors through food, offerings, and prayers. For Pchum Ben Day I traveled with a coworker to Takeo Province to spend the holidays with his family in his home village. I drove a little over an hour to Phnom Penh, where I met Bunna, and traveled the rest of the way by moto (my 1st time on a moto! with all my things for 6 days! haha). We arrived a little after 2pm on Friday the 5th. After an unintentional nap I was greeted by his son with a coca cola in hand. Throughout the week/weekend, I began to look forward to a cold coca cola on a warm afternoon.
Saturday morning was spent preparing for our trip to the Pagoda. We arrived after 9am, and I followed along as we made our way around the Pagoda. We first brought the offerings to a monk and received a blessing. Then we emptied the food we brought in bowls for the monks to eat when the time came. The rice was divided between the individuals in our group, and we made our way to a line of multiple bowls. Here we would place a spoonful of rice in each bowl and have the opportunity to pray or ask for a blessing. On the opposite side of the bowls were plates where individuals could do the same with Reil. Once this was complete we were given incense and made our way to the bamboo mats in front of the Buddha statues, where we were given the opportunity to pray. By now it was around 10:15, and I was informed that the monks and older women eat around 11:30. For the next hour we chanted and prayed, turning back and forth between the monks and Buddha statues. Around 11:15 they began bringing the food and bowls out for the monks and older women, and once they were done we were able to sit together and eat. There was a wide variety of food, and I quickly found a beef and pineapple dish that I really liked!
Sunday was a day of rest. I was able to go to the market with Bunna's wife (who I call bong srei - older sister), where we picked up various items for the store that she owns. We loaded it all on the moto and made our way back, definitely not an easy task. I also received a cross stitch of Angkor Wat, that I worked on for the next 3 days with bong srei. She completed a similar one that took her 6 months, so I'm hoping by the end of my time here I'll have completed mine! For lunch we traveled to Bunna's sister's house, and spent the afternoon enjoying each others company. Monday for lunch we spent the afternoon with their son-in-laws family, and I was taught how to make a Khmer cake. Num onsom chee is a cake made with rice, sugar, and banana, wrapped in banana leaves, and then cooked. When wrapping it in the banana leaves and tying with string, it is important that you wrap it tight, which is something that I learned by my 5th or 6th time! Fun fact, when the bananas are cooked they turn pink, so at first I thought I was going to be eating num onsom chrouu (rice, pork, pepper). Tuesday we made our way to the Pagoda around 7:45 and followed in the same routine as we did on Saturday. I was able to try num onsom chrouu at the Pagoda, and then I had it at the house fried, delicious! I ate waaaaay too many Khmer cakes and was barely hungry for dinner, lesson learned. Wednesday was my last full day in the village, and we spent the whole afternoon/evening playing cards. We played a Thai and Khmer card game, both similar to poker in the U.S., and I'm very excited to bring them back to the states! Both Bunna and bong srei have very big families, and all of them were very kind and welcoming!
I am very happy that I was able to spend the 5 1/2 days with Bunna and his family and to learn about the Buddhist and Khmer holiday/traditions. I was asked during my first visit to the Pagoda if it's okay that I am in the Pagoda taking part in the Buddhist traditions. The answer was yes. For me this year is a year of experiences. I am here to work as a volunteer, but to also learn about the culture and traditions of Cambodia. For those that may not know, I was raised Lutheran, however I don't believe these experiences constitute as worshiping another God. Part of going to another country, for me, is experiencing holidays, traditions, and learning about religion. I am so fortunate to even be here in Cambodia, and I feel even more grateful that there are so many individuals here that want to teach me about the various aspects of Cambodia and Buddhism. I am very excited to continue to experience the different holidays and traditions, and hope you all enjoy learning about them with me!
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