Originally constructed to appeal to the foreign tourist dollar, the Cultural Village attracts a largely Khmer crowd and it’s fascinating to see how history is recast as entertainment and ultimately pop culture – by locals, for locals. http://www.cambodianculturalvillage.com
Thomas, Chantra, Virak, Phatry, Lux and more (left) at what is becoming a regular meeting of Phnom Penh bloggers.
In the wake of the Clogger Summit, a number of us have been meeting to discuss new projects and plans. Stay tuned shortly for a site and mailing list. Want in? Zap an email to me or Virak.
Phnom Penh: I’m having an early afternoon bowl of noodle soup when a monk walks into the restaurant, plops this plastic ‘amulet’ on my table and tries to sign me up on his donations list. Apparently for the building of a temple. He doesn’t respond to any Khmer language inquiries.
Naturally I just want the amulet so I give him a small donation and he’s off to collar other barangs. After further inquiry with local shop owners, it turns out he is ethnically Chinese and visiting all the foreigner haunts methodically. (Tourist alert? This happened about two weeks ago, he seems to be gone by now.)
In Cambodia you’ll find your friendly neighborhood monk begging during the mornings, not the afternoons. Common practice is to stand outside a doorway with rice bowl in hand (as in the accompanying picture). That’s why being hit up for money or any kind of donation during the afternoon is a little… jarring.
Below: Fake Monk.
(hmm, three posts in a row that touch on Khmer Buddhism. Erik, others, feel free to school me if there’s worthwhile stuff to add.)
Postscript: (Aug 2014):
The monks are still out there.
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….
Tree ordination is a way of sanctifying (and protecting) a tree, and is becoming a more common practice in Cambodia and Thailand. In cultures with deep animist roots, this also seems to be one subtle way for Buddhism to co-opt earlier traditions. Many neak ta (spirits) are said to reside in trees.
This particular tree at Wat Botum park was spared from being cut as the park underwent a major renovation. It did get a pruning though.
Above: illustration by Em Satya from Cry From the Forest – A Buddhism and Ecology Community Learning Tool by The Buddhist Institute.
