Bonn Kathen

During this important religious festival of Bonn Kathen, Cambodians all throughout the country march in processions to the wats, following musicians loudly drumming the traditional Chha- Yam drums. Saffron robes are everywhere during this 29-day festival as the monks come out of their annual retreat during the rain season.

This festival, also known as Monk’s Robes Festival, lasts for 29 days from October November, with the actual start day determined by the lunar calendar. It commences 15 days after the completion of Bonn Pchum Ben, the Cambodian Festival of the Dead, and really marks the end of Buddhist Lent.

New Robes for Old

During Bonn Kathen, monks exchange their old robes for new ones offered during the festival. As followers file by the ranks of waiting monks in the temple grounds, they fill their begging bowls up with money and small offerings, to build spiritual credit. This is in keeping with Cambodian Buddhist principles, which stress the bonds between the the monastery and its surrounding community.

The festival centers on each community’s temple, and is rich with tradition and color, thick with the sounds of ceremonial gongs and rhythmic beats from the Chha-Yam drums, and heavy with the scent of incense in the air. Hands of monks, nuns and the local Cambodians are locked in prayer. In Phnom Penh, large crowds are to be found at Wat Phnom, its temple on a hill, and further north, in Phnom Oudong which has one of the most important religious shrines in the country.

Temple festivities

Each temple holds one Kathen, lasting two days and a night. During this time, a range of traditional performances, including aspara dances and theatre, are held at the wat, with the villagers and townpeople in attendance.