Ancestors’ Day 2023: Date, History, Facts about Cambodia

Ancestor’s Day, or Pchum Ben, is observed annually in the Khmer calendar during the 15th day of the tenth month. This year, the festival will span from October 13th to October 20th. This religious observance in Cambodia is frequently denoted as “Ancestor’s Day” or the “Ancestors Festival.” The fifteen days of festivities culminate in a grand celebration on Pchum Ben. As Kan Ben, the initial fourteen days of the Khmer month Pheakta Bot are referred to. It is the most distinctive and longest festival in Cambodia. Guests offer their respects to departed relatives spanning as many as seven generations. According to Cambodian tradition, the gates of hell are opened and the spirits of the ancestors are at work during this period.

The background of Ancestors’ Day

The Pchum Ben Festival originated during the Angkorian period, a time when animism was prevalent. The belief that all things, locations, and beings have a spiritual essence is animism. Buddhism supplanted Animism as the dominant faith; however, due to their shared veneration of deceased ancestors, the traditional practices of the new faith have persisted. Pchum or Brochum denote “a gathering or meeting” in Khmer, the official language of Cambodia; Ben refers to “a ball of something,” such as rice or flesh.

Ben Khmers prepare and present meals to the spirits of their kin during Pchum in the belief that doing so alleviates their suffering. The spirits are compared to ravenous ghosts with minuscule mouths but voracious appetites. It is said that those who were avaricious, envious, or possessive during their lifetimes would reappear as ravenous ghosts after they died. As an act of merit transfer to the ravenous spirits, the majority of devotees prepare food for the Buddhist monks; however, some hold the belief that the food itself signifies a transfer of merit from the monks to their predecessors. Rice is also thrown into fields by individuals, as some hold the belief that such offerings are directly transmitted to the deceased.

There are four distinct types of spirits, according to popular belief: those that consume pus and blood, burning ghosts characterized by their perpetual heat, ravenous ghosts, and the Pakrakteaktopak Chivi, which obtains sustenance from the monks. Food from their relatives is restricted to those whose crimes have been atoned for to the extent of Pakrakteaktopak Chivi.

While this festival is relatively distinct, it does exhibit certain resemblances to celebrations held in Taiwan and Sri Lanka.

5 Interesting Cambodia Facts

Mid-April marks the occasion of Choul Chnam Thmey, the Cambodian New Year’s celebrations.

Tarantulas, crickets, and insects are all components of the Cambodian diet.

The Cambodian flag prominently showcases Angkor Wat, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated atop the largest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia.

The greatest freshwater lake in Southeast Asia, Tonle Sap in Cambodia, flows in two directions.

Cambodia has been known by four distinct names in the last six decades: ‘The People’s Republic of Kampuchea,’ ‘The Kingdom of Cambodia,’ ‘The Khmer Republic,’ and ‘Democratic Kampuchea.’

ANCESTORS’ DAY DATES

Year	Date	Day
2022	September 24	Saturday
2023	October 13	Friday
2024	October 1	Tuesday
2025	September 21	Sunday
2026	October 10	Saturday