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Embark on a cultural journey with the Ok Om Bok festival, also known as the Rice Offering Ceremony. Occurring annually on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, this event is a tribute and expression of gratitude to the moon, revered by the Khmer community as a deity harmonizing weather for bountiful harvests.
Experience the enchantment of the Ok Om Bok festival, commonly referred to as the Moon Worship or Rice Offering Ceremony. This annual celebration, held on the 15th day of the 10th lunar month, pays homage to the moon, considered by the Khmer people as a celestial force influencing weather patterns for a prosperous agricultural season. The highlight of the festival is the offering of flattened rice, accompanied by various agricultural products typical of the Southern region, including coconuts, bananas, sweet potatoes, yams, and traditional sweets. On the night of the 15th, before the moon reaches its zenith, people gather at temples, homes, or open spaces to observe the celestial spectacle. The ritual involves offering flattened rice and distinctive crops, followed by a unique tradition where elders call upon children. Seated with folded hands, facing the moon, the children receive flattened rice and other offerings in their mouths. With their mouths full, the children respond to inquiries about their desires with muffled words, and the answers are believed by adults to foretell the fortune of the upcoming year. Preceding the moon worship, on the afternoon of the 15th day, the Khmer people organize boat races on the Maspero River in the town of Sóc Trăng. This event is a symbolic remembrance of the traces left by Lord Buddha on the sandy shores of the Nimôta River (Yômol, Laos), or the memory of a tooth of Lord Buddha held by the Naga king.
3. Lotus Festival in Đônta
Lotus Festival in Đônta (Ancestor Commemoration Ceremony) is the second largest festival of the Khmer people, held for three days from the 29th of August to the end of the 1st of September in the lunar calendar. The festival is similar in meaning to the Vietnamese Vu Lan Festival, so it is also called the 'remembrance of past sins' ceremony, with the purpose of chanting prayers for the deceased and seeking blessings for the departed souls.
According to customs, the Khmer people do not hold memorial services for the deceased like the Vietnamese, as they believe there is no connection between the living and the dead. They organize the Đônta festival to pray for the souls of the departed rather than seeking the protection and support of the deceased.
During the three days of the Đônta festival, various religious and cultural activities will take place.
- On the first day, families will clean their homes, prepare meals for the ancestor worship ceremony, and in the afternoon, they will cleanse themselves to invite the souls into the pagoda to listen to the monks chanting scriptures.
- On the second day, after staying at the pagoda for a day and a night, in the evening, everyone will escort the ancestors back home to share a meal and gather with their descendants.
- On the third day, continue preparing food and desserts to offer a farewell ceremony to escort the souls on their journey.
Celebrate Bon Phnôm Pôn, also known as the Festival of a Thousand Mountains, a Khmer ritual to seek forgiveness from animals. Khmer people believe that humans owe an apology to all creatures for hunting and killing them to protect crops and health. They fear that after death, animals will seek revenge, dragging human souls to hell. Hence, the Bon Phnôm Pôn festival is organized in the hot, dry season (around January to March in the lunar calendar, a month or two before the New Year - Chôl Chnăm Thmây).
To commence Bon Phnôm Pôn, people choose an empty space to temporarily build a communal house for the ceremony. In front of the communal house is a large courtyard. Here, they set up an altar with a Buddha statue, surrounding it with square-shaped sand mountains and bamboo or wooden fences. Khmer people believe that each grain of sand on the mountain will liberate a sinner in the mortal world.
Celebrate Chôl Vôsa, the 5th ritual, with a focus on spiritual offerings
Chôl Vôsa, also known as the Summer Entrance Festival, is a significant annual event held on the 15th day of the 6th lunar month. The Khmer community organizes this ceremony to pray for harmonious rain, national prosperity, and the peace and joy of families. It is also an opportunity for people to offer daily necessities to the monks in the temple.
Celebrate Kathina, the 6th ritual, focusing on communal offerings and generosity
Kathina Festival, also known as the Offering Robes Ceremony for monks, is held at an unspecified date. According to the regulations of Southern Buddhism, temples are only allowed to organize the Robe Offering Ceremony once a year, from the 15th of the 9th lunar month to the 15th of the 10th lunar month. This is the season for offering Kathina robes to the monks. Kathina robes are yellow, the attire worn by monks during their spiritual practice.
