Pchum Ben

A girl earnest in prayer with jasmine and incense sticks

Monks are usually overwhelmed with gifts during this time.

In Cambodia, we are just entering the Pchum Ben holiday season. This is one of the most important and widely celebrated holidays in Cambodia. For at least a couple of days, almost every Khmer-run business will be closed, including the popular markets for tourists. It also happens to be a highly religious holiday, one in which a lot of ancestor worship and fear of evil spirits is prevalent.
Pchum Ben means Ancestor's Day. The day falls on the 15th day of the 10th month on the Khmer calendar so it fluctuates some on the traditional Gregorian calendar. Buddhist monks at pagodas around the country chant for a full 24hours leading up to the actual day. They do this in preparation for, according to their belief system, the opening of the gates of hell. It is during this time that ghosts and spirits of the dead are free to roam the Earth. During this holiday season, most Cambodians travel to several different pagodas, likely near their home province, to leave food offerings. It is amazing to watch as people dressed in their best clothes file in and out of the grounds of the temples with elaborately decorated and packaged food gifts.  These are gifts of appeasement. Cambodians in general believe that if the spirit of one of their ancestors was to be released temporarily and went in search of food at a pagoda and didn't find any, they may be more inclined to curse them.

Gifts being brought to the temple.

Please pray for our family during this time. Pray that as we encounter many Khmer celebrating this holiday that we may have words to say to infuse truth into their hearts and minds. Pray also for protection as the spiritual oppression is more intense during this time. Finally, pray that God's love and the truth of His word would continue to penetrate the hearts of the Cambodian people.