Surviving Pchum Ben

Surviving Pchum Ben

Photo Credit - © Keith Kelly [3] Click for more great photos

A Cambodian friend once described the Pchum Ben festival as a time when all Cambodians return to their homelands, take gifts to honour their deceased relatives to the pagoda and then, once the religious ceremonies have been completed, invite the spirits of the departed back to their homes for a party! If you’ve never been in Phnom Penh during this festival, you will have no idea how true this is. The city literally becomes a ghost town – although obviously without the ghosts, as they’re all off enjoying those parties in the countryside.

So unless you’ve been privileged enough to be invited to join the ceremonies in somebody’s homeland, or you managed to book a get-away before all the flights filled up, be prepared to be stranded in a sleeping city during Pchum Ben (this year falling between 24-28 September). The motodops, tuk-tuk drivers and cyclo riders will have all gone home, so – unless you have your own transport - you’ll probably find you have to walk everywhere. Many of the restaurants will take the opportunity to give their staff a well-earned break, so you may have to knock on several doors before you can find a decent bite to eat. And there’s no point ordering take-away food as there will be nobody there to deliver it!

Even if you can find an open restaurant, the chances are it will be woefully understaffed - and the remaining staff will be sulking because they drew the unlucky straw this year. So it might be a good time to dig out the recipe books and practice your culinary skills …. or perhaps just go on that long-awaited diet? There will be few parties, events or activities in town, so you will need to make your own entertainment. Perhaps the Master-Chef re-runs on TV will inspire those latent cooking skills, killing two birds with one stone?

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On the brighter side, it will be much easier to cross the road without getting knocked over and you will definitely be able to hear a pin drop, because all the ghetto blasters/boom boxes will have gone to the countryside along with everyone else (and their late relatives).

The recommended survival techniques for those staying in Phnom Penh over Pchum Ben involve thinking ahead:

* Stock up on food and beverages (and anything else you might conceivably need) at the supermarket/pharmacy - well before they close for the holidays

* Dig out your walking shoes (and blister plasters)

* Learn about something exciting and unusual, so that you can compete with your friends’ travelling tales when they return to Phnom Penh

* Schedule several Skype calls with friends and relatives back home, so that you don’t lose the power of speech completely

* Dust off that old guitar and tune it up so that you can finally learn to play without annoying anybody or embarrassing yourself

* Look up the rules for playing Solitaire

If none of the above floats your boat, (oh yes, the boats won't be running much, either) perhaps it’s not too late to make alternative plans…..?
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Prachum Benda(Ancestors Day), is a Cambodian religious festival, culminating in celebrations on the 15th day of the tenth month in the Khmer Calendar.

Ancestor Day is more commonly known as Pchum Ben. It is an official holiday. On Ancestor Day (Pchum Ben), Cambodians pay their respects to deceased relatives.

People cook meals for monks, bring offerings to the temple and throw rice near the temple early in the morning, believing that the ghosts of their ancestors will receive it on Pchum Ben.

Official dates for Pchum Ben 2011
Monday, 26 September 2011
Tuesday, 27 September 2011
Wednesday, 28 September 2011

who is open and who is closed? [5]

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About The author
Danielle Stewardson is the General Manager of Mango Cambodia Tours [6]
Mango Cambodia - Burst out of the Expat Bubble!
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