Pchum Ben Festival

The City

Custom requires that all Khmer people go to their home villages for the Pchum Ben celebration. There they gather with families and go to the wats (temples) to leave offerings and pray for their dead ancestors. The city of Phnom Penh lost its hustle and bustle along with its population. This is a durian fruit stand on a main street, closed for the weekend.   This is Nehru Boulevard, near Olympic Stadium, the main fruit-selling area of the city. All the vendors except one or two were closed.   Most businesses routinely open on Sundays, this computer company among them. But today they were closed so their staff could be with their families. Even this lottery business was closed! They get numbers from a Vietnam lottery every day and post them on the white board. It's very popular, but today the customers are not in Phnom Penh.

The Wat

This wat is located on the riverfront near the royal palace, and because of its location, it has a generally more wealthy clientele who can afford to come in cars.     In a small circle in front of the wat is this statue of Buddha. It receives a lot of daily attention while the wat would draw crowds mainly on the holy days.     This wat is well-maintained and quite pretty compared to some of the others around town where the neighborhood is quite poor.     Some people bring offerings of food from home, but many more buy flower offerings from the vendors at the main gate of the wat.     A woman trims and folds lotus flowers, the traditional flower associated with Buddhism, to sell to those coming to pray. Her daughter watches from the background.

The Dress

The national formal dress for women in Cambodia is a dark, ankle-length skirt and a white blouse.  For Buddhist holy days, the women add a sash worn over the left shoulder and under the arm.  The normal color is white but occasionally women will match the sash to the colors of their outfits.  The young woman in maroon is not in traditional dress, probably making a statement because of her youth or because of her wealth.  Or maybe it's just her favorite outfit and she doesn't care what the tradition says!

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