My Halloween Costume
Nov 10th, 2007 by Jinja
this year was a Yeak mask, based on the Lakhon Khaol designs.
Yeaks tend to take the bad guy role in a lot of Khmer legends, and while they aren’t inherently bad, they seem to have a predisposition to making mistakes and causing problems.
This is a cheap paper maché version sold for tourists at the Russian market in Phnom Penh.
I was looking for something authentically scary and appropriate for Halloween. In popular Cambodian belief, during the time of Pchum Ben festival (This last October) the gates of hell are opened and hungry spirits that haven’t reincarnated on a higher level return to their home village in search of a meal. Curious that Halloween and the Day of the Dead are all roughly in in the same time frame. Hmm….
[...] of a party I’ve added some elastic to a paper maché Lakhaon Kaol Yeak mask. (Same from last year – OK, so I’m [...]