Buddhism:
Buddhism has been a part of Cambodian life for nearly a thousand years. Buddhism first came to Cambodia from India, in a similar way to the Hindu faith with its numerous gods and rich culture. The faiths paved the way for the glorious Angkorian era. The Khmer people embraced their adopted culture and developed it in to something far beyond the sphere of the original influences. Their economic and military power, and their artistic endeavor, dominated south-east Asia for centuries. The earliest Buddhist statues in Cambodian temples date from the 2nd century. Many of the splendid stone Buddhist statues on view today in the National Museum in Phnom Penh are taken from the ruins of 5th century temples. There are currently Buddhist 3371 pagodas in Cambodia. Buddhism suffuses Khmer life and brings spirituality and hope. A student of Buddhism from childhood, King Jayavarman VII made it the dominant religion in the 12th century. Buddhism's influence on him seems clearly to have been profound, leading him to undertake philanthropic works such as the drive to build chapel hospitals. His actions appear driven by Buddhism's humanitarianism. Buddhism suffered grievously during the period of Khmer Rouge hegemony. It has since recovered and is once again the pre-eminent faith in Cambodia. An estimated 97% of Cambodia's populations currently follow the Buddha's teachings.
Ceremony and Celebration:
|
01 Jan
|
International New Year |
07 Jan
|
Victory Day |
Feb
|
Meak Bochea (one day) |
08 Mar
|
International Women's Day |
14-16 Apr
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Cambodia New Year |
01 May
|
International Labor Day |
13-15 May |
King Sihamony's Birthday |
May |
Visak Bochea |
May |
Royal plowing Ceremony |
01 Jun |
International Children's Day |
18 Jun |
Her Majesty Queen birthday |
24 Sep |
Constitution Day |
sep |
Bon Pchhum Ben (three days) |
23 Oct |
Paris Peace Accords |
29 Oct |
King's Coronation Day |
31 Oct |
H.M King Sihanouk's Birthday |
9 Nov |
National Independence Day |
Nov |
Water Festival (Boat Races) |
10 Dec |
Human Rights Day |
Cambodian New Year:
The Cambodian New Year is three day celebration to mark the end of the harvest and turn of the year, according to the Khmer lunar calendar. Every home is decorated in different colors and shrines are laden with food and other offerings to god. People usually visit Buddhist temples (pagodas). Many people in Cambodia suffer from problems of disease or poverty or other obstacles to an easy life. As in western New Year celebration the Khmer New Year is seen as a time to forget the past year's hardships and look forward to a more hopeful time. Houses are symbolically cleaned and offerings of food made to monks and religious institutions. The people also buy and wear new clothes for the festival.
The first day of the festival is called Moha Sangkran, the second day Virak Vanborth and the third day Virak Lerng Sak. During this time people believe that the spirits of the old year explain their duties to the spirits of the New Year, so that the spirits of the New Year understand their responsibilities towards the world. As the New Year is born, so is the New Heaven. In token of this people prepare sacrifices, often in combinations of number that are believed to the lucky (5 candles, 7 cigarettes etc). These offering are usually presented in a Baysey, a container made from part of the banana tree. Fruit, incense, tobacco and flowers are all accepted form of offering. People light candles, incenses and pray the New Heaven will bring them joy, happiness, successful, healthy and wealthy.
On the Moha Sangkranday, as well as making offerings, people build small hills of sand around pagodas and banyan tree. In the following day people add to these sand mountains and invite monks to come and pray over them to appease the spirits of ancestors. On the morning of Virak Lerng Sak people ritually bathe the parents, grandparents in their home and statues of the Buddha at the pagodas. It is not uncommon for people to bathe the monks too, as part of the cleaning ritual. The traditional games are also played at Virak Lerng Sak. These include Teagn Proat, a game that is centuries old in Cambodia and which symbolizes the balance between good and evil in the universe. Many of the bas-relief carvings at Angkor Wat deal with the theme of opposite forces in equilibrium (look at the "Churning of the Ocean of Milk, it is a tug of war march between Good and Evil with the Hindu God Vishnu presiding over the point of balance).
Another game played at New Year is Bors-ang-kugn. The game is played with fruit of the Kugn tree (a dark, hard nut). Four piles of Kugn nuts are set in a square around a King. Teams usually consist of all men and all women, with the two genders throwing their Ang-kugn tree fruit at the opposing team's piles. It is common for a man to throw at the pile belonging to a woman, he finds attractive and vice versa. When the outer piles have been knuckle over the contestants concentrate on hitting the King. There is a painful prize awaiting the loser: the victors are permitted to hit their opponent's kneecap, Ang-kugn fruit in hand. The Cambodia New Year is also a time to perform traditional Khmer dances such as Rorm Vong, Rorm Kbach and nowadays some place they daces other mixing music style that to make tourists confuse.
Bon Pchhum Ben:
Bon Pchhum Ben is a moon festival dedicated to the spirits of the Dead. During a 15 days period prior to Bon Pchhum Ben, known as Bon Dak Ben, food is offered to the monks. On the 15thday the full moon appears. This day is Bon Pchhum Ben (the collection of the Bens, or offerings). If departed souls find their family has not made offerings at pagodas, it is believed that a soul will curse and bother its descendents. Please note, the Cambodian people believed that the parents is the first god at home and the monks is the second god at pagodas, so when they made food to offering they give their parent first and then bring the other new food to the monks.
Bon Om Touk (Water Festival):
Bon Om Touk (the water festival> is celebrated in November. Every Town and Province joins in with t he celebration but the place to be for Bon Om Touk is Phnom Penh. For three days, the workers from every province join with the city's residents to celebrate by night and day. The river comes alive with fireworks and flotillas of brightly-lit boats and the moon rises over the capital. The full moon which coincides with the festival is worshipped by many house-holds. For the Khmer people, Bon Om Touk is their most traditional festival.
The highlights of the festival are a series of boat race. These take place over three days and honor the 12th century Cambodian naval victories achieved under king Jayavarman VII. The Water Festival is ancient; having its roots in a time when the Angkorian kings would test the fighting prowess of their warriors by holding competitions. The races were a form of training and a means by which the king could choose his champions (in the same way that jousting tournaments were used in medieval Europe). The temple carvings at Bayon and Banteay Chhmar have numerous depictions of battles fought on water.
The spiritually, the festival provides a chance to give thanks to Buddha for the year's rice crop and to ask for sufficient rain in the coming year. There are other ceremonies during the festival. Loy Bro-tip begins around 7:00pm with illuminated boats taking to the water. Each boat represents a government ministry or state institution. Sampeas Preah Khe is a ceremony in which salutation are made to the moon. After the Sampeas Preah khe ceremony people gather at pagodas at midnight for Ork Ambok, named after the rice dish which forms part of the ceremony. Rice is fried in the husk and then pounded with a giant pestle. The husks are removed and the special rice mixed with coconut and banana. This most traditional of Khmer dishes is sold throughout the festival and its consumption is an integral part of the festival's spirituality.
Royal Plowing Ceremony:
The Royal Plowing Ceremony, or "Chrort Preah Neang Korl"in Khmer language, is a prediction ceremony. During the Plowing Ceremony, Cambodian believes they can predict a range of events including epidemics, floods, good harvests and excessive rainfall. The Royal Plowing Ceremony is help every year in May at the Veal Preahmein Square in Phnom Penh, north of the Royal Palace and in front of the National Museum. It is comforting for Khmer to believe that the angels are still watching over us. As they say in Cambodia, long live the Khmer traditions, long live Cambodia.
Pagodas in Siem Reap Town Center:
Prah Ang Chek Prah Ang Chorm:
Flowers and incense are sold to the constant flow of visitors paying homage. Just down the road
a few meters of the shrine to Yeay Tep is located in the middle of a roundabout under the large trees.
Yeay Tep:
Yeay Tep is local spirit and this shrine is a fine example of the animistic believes that survived
the arrival of Buddhism in Cambodia. Animism is still practiced in rural areas.
This temple dates back to the 18th Century, and stay on Road No.6 nearby Royal Palace.
Wat Po-lanka: (Wat Po Leu)
Stay on the east of Siem Reap River and north of Royal Palace/Spean Thmor 500m. Just take a walk 15mn
from the Old Market center.
Wat Preah En-korsa: (Wat Kandal)
You go straight to the north, east of river, 500m from Wat Po-Lanka.
Wat Preah En-Korsey: (Wat Leu)
You go straight to the north, east of river, 500m from Wat Preah En-Korsa. This pagoda has an old temple made from Bricks.
Wat Thmey: (New Wat)
The Wat contains a unique glass-walled Stupa containing the bones of victims of the Khmer Rouge. Some of the
bones were recovered from a nearby well, while others are the remains of soldiers who died on the nearby battlefield.
It is located on the secondary road to the temples, 500m west of the road to Angkor Wat and about 1.5km north of Town.
Wat Bo:
You go straight to the east of Royal Palace until traffic light and turn right 300m, then turn left 100m.
Wat Dam Nak:
You go straight to the east of Old Market across the stone bridge 30m, then turn right 15m you will see on your left hand.
Wat Preah Prom Rath:
North of Old Market 200m, on the west of Siem Reap riverside.
Wat Kesararam:
From Old Market/Center Market to the North until traffic light, then turn left 100 on Road No6, you
will see on your right hand. It is the west-next Sokha Hotel.
