HENGsambo Portafolio

The monks are praying
The end of the retreat period observed during three month by the Buddhist celebrated during the full moon of the lunar month of Assoch. This is what the commonly called Chen Vossa(Getting out from the Vossa).
The same day, the Baku(priests in the royal palace) invite the god Shiva, Uma, Ganesha, Narayana(Preah Noreay in Khmer) and Balarama to come out from their retreat as well.
Monks get together in the pagodas to confess their sins. The public then bring their traditional offerings and give them to the monks on the day of Phchum Ben(the day offerings are collected).
In addition to prayers and recitations of the Buddhist scripture, reading of the Vessantara Jataka is also done. It is story of one of the previous lives of the lord Buddha, in which he, by now detached from the material wealth of world, donated his wife and children to a beggar.
On the night of the full moon Assoch, the Loy Pratip or "Floating of the lights" festival is celebrated.
On the occasion, a raft made banana tree trunks and lit with oriflammes and candles is transported to the riverside. The raft represent either a temple, or the Preah Colamonei. This latter is topped by a kind of lantern called Kansom Taor, which represent the hive of the species of gain bee.
At the river side the raft of the loaded with offerings after an invocation of the "Triple Gems"(the Buddha, the Law, the Clergy).Prayers and recited and homage is paid to the Buddha's Footprint. The villager ask the Water and the Earth(Toek neung Dey) for forgiveness for having polluted them during the course of the year. Following this the raft is released into the water.
However, before the raft is released to the river, it is towed by a richly decorated small boat carrying monks, followed by a procession. In many villagers, boat race are often held during this occasion.
Several legends explain the customs of the "floating of the lights"but two of them are particularly well known. It is said that the festival is held to pay homage to Tooth of the Buddha kept by the kind of the Nagas(mythological snake) at the bottom of the water.
Another legend says it is in memory of the day when, at the demand of the Naga, Lord Buddha left his footprints so that aquatic animals may participate in the cult.
The same legends also explains the Water Festival which is held a week later.