Celebrate Pchum Ben with KOUn Collective!
Sousdei Koun,
It’s that time of year again! It’s Pchum Ben season, and we are gearing up for the 15th and final day of Pchum Ben!
Pchum Ben is one of my favorite Khmer holidays, especially because of the tradition of waking up extra early, before it’s even light out, to participate in the ceremony. One of my favorite parts is toward the end, when the sun begins to rise around 7:00 AM and the morning festivities start to wrap up. There’s something really special about being at the temple as the sun comes up after spending the early morning together.
Last year, I had the chance to prepare rice balls with my good friends Anthony and Andrew. We got up extra early the next morning and drove to the temple to arrive around 5:00 AM. This year will be my third year participating, and I’m excited to do it again!
I’m extending this invitation to Koun Khmer because participating in holidays like Pchum Ben gives us another opportunity to connect with our culture and practice gratitude for our parents, families, and ancestors. A big part of what I want us to do as a collective is not only learn and talk about our culture, but also have opportunities to experience and participate in it together.
I know 5:00 AM is EARLY but that’s also part of what makes this experience so memorable! I would love to start seeing more Khmer youth participate in traditions and community events like this. Come tired, come bundled up, bring a friend, and experience the morning with us.
We are coordinating with Wat Munisotaram to join them for the final day of Pchum Ben.
Friday, October 9 | 6:00–7:00 PM
We will meet at my house to prepare and decorate our rice balls together for the following morning.
Saturday, October 10 | 5:00 AM
If you need a ride, meet at my house at 4:30 AM, and we will drive to the temple together. If meeting at my house doesn’t work for you, you can meet the group directly at Wat Munisotaram around 5:00 AM.
Parent/guardian permission will be required for participants under 18. Rides will be provided for those who are able to meet at my house.
Optional Creative Role: Koun Khmer Documenter
We are also looking for a student who would like to help document the experience through photography and/or video! I have the equipment, so you do not need to bring your own. Your role would simply be to capture moments throughout the morning—the preparation, our group, the temple, and parts of the experience that we may want to remember or use for Koun Khmer.
We will likely rotate this role throughout the year, so different people can practice documenting our activities and telling our collective story through media. If photography, video, social media, or storytelling is something you’re interested in, let me know if you’d like to be our documenter for Pchum Ben!
I also want to extend this beyond our current Koun Khmer group. If you have friends, siblings, cousins, or other people in our community who you think would enjoy participating, please let me know! The more youth we can bring together to experience this, the better.
Please let me know if you plan to join us Friday, Saturday, or both, whether you’ll need a ride, and if you’re interested in being our student documenter for the day!
Sincerely,
Bong Sara
