Pchum Ben

Today it's Ancestor's Day or Pchum Ben in Khmer (បុណ្យភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ). It's the last day of a 15 day festival when people pay their respects to dead relatives of up to 7 generations.
For the past fortnight there's been loads of chanting going on in pagodas and special food parcels being sold in markets to give as offerings. And last night monks chanted continuously, getting ready for the main event, ie the opening of the gates of hell. Nice.

Phnom Penh is pretty empty at the mo as most people have gone to the provinces to be with their families. And their ghostly ancestors who they believe are wandering among them for the day. In order to ease their suffering, they give them food. Mostly it's sticky rice and fruit but for ancestors punished with small mouths (for misdemeanours during their earthly life), small hand-fulls of rice are thrown to them instead.

It's a festival that's been going on for centuries and apparently one of the few that didn't get banned during the Khmer Rouge years. So it's a big thing. And a big eye-opener spiritually too.