In the Khmer language,”Pchum” stands for “gather” and “Ben” is a ball of food, for example rice or meat. Sometimes also called “Brochum Ben”. The festival is one of the most important festivities in the religious calendar of the Khmer people and the whole country is on its feet because everyone wants to visit their families. It is common for some of the restaurants in Siem Reap and elsewhere in Cambodia to close, so that the Cambodians have time to be with their families at Pchum Ben.
The Pchum Ben festival dates back to the Angkorian period, when people still followed animism. They believed that objects, natural phenomena and even the universe have their own soul. Finally, Animism was replaced by Buddhism as the leading religion. Since Buddhism and Animism also emphasize respect for the deceased ancestors, the old customs under the new religion have remained until today.
Pchum ben | My dearest friend Plony gives some Riel to the widows
In the past, Buddhist monks had to walk everywhere to ask for alms, no matter how bad the weather was. Later, during his reign, King Jayavarman VII (1181-1218) provided the monks with clothing, food, shelter and medicine. The king was a strong advocate of Buddhism and he realized that the monks met heavy rain, thunderstorms, lightning and winds and fell down on the muddy paths again and again. Thus, King Jayavarman VII appealed to his people to offer the monks food and other basic necessities for daily life during this time. In addition, Buddhist followers explained that it is a personal advantage to offer alms to the monks.