Phum Ben Ceremony

There are lot celebrations in Cambodia such as Khmer New Year, Phum Ben is one of the celebration that most Cambodians do and going to the temple to pray and remind their parents in other world family line.

On 14 th September 2009 kids from the Center for Children’s Happiness went to the temple which takes place at Teborey Village, Khum Krang Kanong, Batey district, Takeo Province.

On Saturday 12th at 7:30PM we had a meeting with Dad Sokha about how did we do when we went to Pagoda. We divided Secondary school Students into 4 groups such as: cooking group, Cleaning group, Carry water group and the last group is Carry material in the car.

On 13rd September every big girl help teacher to cook. Some people washed the vegetable, some washed plate, some prepared material that we took to the Pagoda. We got up at 4:40AM to help teacher to cook and prepared our self. After we prepared truck and we were waiting for CDCC Children to come to CCH. After CDCC children have arrived we were going to the car. We took 3 cars such as: Van, truck and JHP car.

On Monday 14th September 2009 we went to Teborey Pagoda at 6:00AM. On the way that we went there were a lot of green trees and it was very beautiful and the fields were so green too. We saw a lot of people were wearing traditional clothes it was so beautiful and politely. Some people they went by car, some by motor and some walked to the Pagoda because some Pagoda was near their house. When we arrived at Teborey Pagoda we saw a lot of people in this Pagoda and we felt very happy about that. We were going to Salar Chan, the place that the monk’s ate, and we took the incense and pray.

After that we went around the Pagoda to have a look and the photo journalist took a lot of pictures from each temple, we were respect to the old person in the Pagoda and talked with them for about 20 minutes. The people there were very friendly and kind. Then we went back to Salar Chan to put rice into monk’s bowls which are arrange in arrow and they made a small sand mountain to put the money on it and pray. After that we listened to the monk’s preaching the dharma until 11:00AM. We helped mum Dany to share the orange juice to the people in Salar Chan. We went to have lunch together. And than we went within the temple compound for the monk’s to sprinkle the journalist we back home safely.

Overall they are felling enthusiastically that Cambodians are keeping their traditional culture celebration therefore as we are Cambodians we should carry on this celebration to be the best and the fantastic ceremony of Cambodia and heritage it to other generation and so on.