Pchun Ben Festival

My office is located within a temple and all my supervisors are monks so Buddhist holidays and celebrations are an integral part of work and daily life. This week it’s the Pchum Ben festival or the Cambodian version of Obon in Japan and Hungry Ghost festival in China.  Similar to its Asian counterparts, the Cambodian tradition also welcomes in ancestral ghosts into their homes and honor them while they are back in the human world.

We were kindly invited by the monks to participate in one the ceremonies with the local community. Hundreds of people gathered chanting Buddhist scripts and bringing offerings to the monks. Each person puts a spoonful of rice in each of the holy bowls served to the monks. After the monks welcome the ghosts into this world, we all enjoy the hearty meal. 

 

I attend Obon services with my relatives in Japan but it’s usually done in individual households in which a monk gets invited to each house to chant at the family Buddhist altar. It’s interesting and heartening to see that everyone comes together as a community in one temple in the Cambodian tradition.

Of course, after a hearty meal we need desserts.  The day happened to be one of my coworker, Kathyrn’s birthday so we ended the day with brownies and ice cream.

A day of celebration indeed J