Pchum Ben 2025: Mystical Cambodian Festival to Honor the Dead

Important Facts about Pchum Ben 2025 📆 Date: 21st September-23rd September, 2025 ✅No of Days: 15 Days 🥳Public Holiday: 3 Days 👚Dress code: White funeral color clothing 🍚Bay Bens: Ball of sticky rice cooked in coconut milk

What Does Pchum Ben Stand For?

Pchum Ben, Phchŭm Bĕnd or Sen Don Ta in Khmer, means “balled rice gathering” or “offering for ancestors.” After the Khmer New Year in April, the Phchum Ben is an important religious holiday in Cambodia, celebrated for 15 days on the 15th day of the 10th month in the Khmer Calendar and the end of Buddhist Lent, Vassa. 

What is Pchum Ben Day?

The Cambodian Buddhist believes the ancestor’s soul is released for 15 days. On these days, foods are cooked for the monks to generate merits that will benefit them in death. 

Pchum Ben 2025 Dates

This year, the Pchum Ben festival will be celebrated from September 21 to September 23.  

Journeying Amidst Pchum Ben 

If you are planning to visit during this auspicious festival, do note that there will be a public holiday 2024 from 21st to 23rd September as people will visit their hometowns and reunite with families. 

The majority of the tourist hub and sightseeing will be empty because of the public holiday. Shops, including malls, will be closed. Bus tickets fill up fast as most of the people travel back home, hence it is recommended to book your tickets online in advance. Hotel rooms, too, are hard to find. 

Pchum Ben History Timeline

1st Century (Mahayana Period)	People followed from Animism to Buddhism, and respect for elders as a practice continues to date
802 AD(Angkorian Period)	People followed from Animism to Buddhism, and respect for elders as a practice continues to date
1181 – 1218(King Jayavarman VII)	A monk came from hell and shared the message from the deceased that they will be free from suffering if the relatives offer food and alms to monks.

History of Pchum Ben Festival

It originated as a belief that the day is the return of the deceased ancestors. Now, the celebration has evolved into a social and cultural event that fosters community bonding. The legends of Pchum Ben are confusing and complex.

The King’s Relatives Are Guilty

According to legends told by Om Sam Ol a monk from Steung Meancheay Pagoda of Phnom Penh. The tradition of Pchum Ben began when a relative of King Bath Pempeksa broke the religious custom by consuming rice before the monks during a religious ritual. After their death, they converted into evil spirits.  

Later, when a monk named Kokak Sonthor gained enlightenment and became the Buddha, the evil spirits asked permission, “When can we eat?” The Buddha said they had to wait for the next Buddha of the Kathakot Buddhist realm. Hence, in the current realm, the evil spirits cannot eat. 

When the evil spirits went to the next monk, Kamanou, after he became Buddha, he gave the same answer. It continued later to another monk, Kasakbour. 

Finally, when Pneah Samphot became a Buddha, he told the evil spirits to wait for their relative, Kind Bath Pempeksa, to give their offerings, and mentioned that with dedication, the food would be theirs. But the King did not dedicate any offering to the spirits. Thus, the spirits cried all night.

When King Pempeksa went to the Pagoda of Valovan to visit Buddha, the then Buddha told him that all his departed relatives were crying, demanding food, and the offerings must be given in the realm of Kathakot. 

So the King made another offering and dedicated all the food and merits to the relatives this time. The evil spirits received the dedication and were finally reborn into paradise. From that day onwards, on Pchum Ben day, family members offer food to the ancestors to gain some relief. 

How to Celebrate Pchum Ben?

Dak Ben: The First 14 Days

The Pchum Ben Festival lasts for 15 days to honour the previous seven generations of ancestors. The first 14 days are “Kan Ben” where the families gather at the nearby pagodas to offer food and prayers to their ancestors and save them from bad karma. It is believed that the spirits of the ancestors wait at the pagodas for their loved ones to have homemade dishes prepared by their kin.

Ben Thom: The Final Day

The final day, i.e. the 15th Day, is “Ben Thom”. On this day, children prepare lunch for their parents. The families dress up and bring baskets of flowers, while children offer sticky rice cakes to the monks. It is a belief that by offering food and prayers during Pchum Ben, the family helps the ancestors have a better life. 

A Reminder to Honour Ancestors

Pchum Ben is a powerful reminder to honour the customs and pay respect to the ancestors. Cambodians not only visit pagodas during these 15 days, they also visit during anniversaries and birthdays of their ancestors to show the relevance in their life. 

Although the festival dates back to the Middle Ages, it remains one of the most significant among Cambodian holidays. Nowadays, students and workers go back to their families to observe the festival and make their offerings. It is a heartwarming custom that highlights how family is deeply rooted with gratitude and respect for Cambodian culture. Hence, if you are in Cambodia during this festival, make sure to experience the beauty of Pchum Ben.  

Travelling to your hometown or visiting your friends and family to celebrate Pchum Ben 2025? Book your bus tickets on redBus and save up to $10 on the Pchum Ben Sale with redBus promo code BEN15 across bus routes in Cambodia. Check the website for more details on the offer. *T&C applied.

Frequently Asked Questions