Feeding the ancestors on Cambodia's Pchum Ben holiday

For the past 15 days, Cambodians have gotten up in the dark hours of morning and taken offerings of food and money to the buddhist pagodas. They’ve been “feeding their ancestors”.

During the 15-day Pchum Ben festival, the spirits of the dead acestors are said to walk the earth. So this is a good time for Cambodians to get on their good side by offering them food and saying prayers for them.

The offerings are supposed to help the deceased pass on to a better life. According to Khmer belief, people who don’t follow the practices of Pchum Ben will be cursed by their angry ancestors.

Today, Thursday, September 7th, is the fifteenth and final day of this year’s Pchum Ben festival. It’s the day when Cambodians travel to their home provinces to pray at the temples and pagodas where their ancestors were cremated.

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