In Cambodia, Meak Bochea Day is an important religious festival. It is observed on the full moon in the third month of the Khmer calendar, which generally lands it in February or March, as of 2020 it is celebrated on 08th

Buddhism has along history in the Cambodia society at one point it used to be the Country Public Holiday but it was cancelled by the Government in 2019. Buddhism plays important in Cambodia,  95% of the total Cambodian population follow which is more than 15 million people. Normally, people preparing food and other offerings bring to the monks at their nearest pagoda or their respected people. For monks at each monastery spend all their night chanting the dharma in being grateful to and remembering his work.

Meak Bochea Day commemorates the final sermon given by Buddha, in which he summarized the “heart of Buddhism” in three principles: ceasing from all evil, doing only what is good, and cleansing the mind. The group that assembled that day, around 2,505 years ago now, to hear him preach are sometimes called the “Fourfold Assembly” because of four factors that were in place: the 1,250 listeners were all “enlightened ones,” they were all ordained by Buddha himself, they came, according to the tradition, without being summoned, and it was a full moon in the month of Magha.

It is also said that, on this day, Buddha correctly predicted the day of his own death, which occurred three months later. The day of his death was also the day of his birth and of his professed enlightenment experience. It is also celebrated in Cambodia as Visakha Bochea Day.

In Buddhism, a full moon day is considered a holy day and is considered the perfect time to repent of sins and “make merits.” The added historical significance of the full moon on Meak Bochea Day turns it into a day of penitence, of doing good deeds for merits, and of remembering the teachings of Buddha. To these ends, many attend local temples and pagodas on this day to perform merit-making acts. They also strive to purify their minds, avoid all sins, and to adhere to all of the Buddha’s commands. Those commands include avoidance of drinking alcoholic beverages, killing, stealing, and lying. Many who have broken these precepts will seek forgiveness on Meak Bochea Day.

 

 

This entry was posted in 2. Bookmark the permalink.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

+84 966511369 Request