Bananas for Offering
Bananas for the Ghosts
The night of 22 November 2010 will long be remembered for a terrible tragedy in Phnom Penh. It was the final night of the Water Festival, a celebration of the end of the rainy season known for boat races on the Tonle Sap river. There was a concert that evening on Diamond Island, an entertainment area reached by three short suspension bridges, close to the heart of Phnom Penh. It is not clear exactly what happened, but the bridge was overly crowded with pedestrians and a stampede occurred. Over 350 people, mostly young, lost their lives and hundreds more were injured.

The whole country mourned. But, on top of the sorrow and the anger there was tremendous fear. The streets were quiet, especially at night, as people feared to go out of their houses. There were offerings of bananas, rice and incense in front of nearly every house, to appease the wandering spirits. The price of bananas rose tenfold in some cases, from $.60 up to $6.00 per bunch! Some homes had scarecrows set up in front to scare away the ghosts. Cambodians believe that the ghost of a dead person wanders about for seven days after death. They believe that those killed in a violent accident are especially restive, and may do harm to people if not appeased. To read more about Cambodian worldview as seen in this event, go to http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2010/12/after-hundreds-killed-in-stampede-
cambodia-finds-solace-in-spirituality/67492/

Even in the Kuy villages, four hours drive outside of Phnom Penh, people made offerings of bananas for the spirits of the deceased. There is a lot of fear surrounding death in Cambodian culture, whether Khmer or Kuy. Several believers commented that Cambodians were asking why the Christians are not afraid. Please join us in praying: