Articles and Stories

October 22, 2015

Every year in October the people of Cambodia celebrate the festival of Pchum Ben.  The festival is a way for Cambodians to honor the dead.  Pchum Ben, Ancestor’s Day, is a 15 day long religious celebration.  This year the event took place between September 27^th and October 12^th.

In Khmer the word ‘Pchum’ means to congregate while the word ‘Ben’ means to collect. During Pchum Ben the Cambodians often collect food and other offerings and meet together at the pagoda to show respect for their ancestors.  It is believed that the souls of deceased relatives come to receive these offerings.

The end of Pchum Ben is marked with a water buffalo race at Vihear Sour pagoda.  Thousands of Cambodians line the streets to close out the ceremonies of the past fifteen days with this annual event.