Kanh-bund, Sene Dolta of the Khmer people - a season of gratitude to grandparents

The Kanh-bund, Ph'chum-bund and Sene Dolta (ancestor worship) festivals are among the important traditional rituals, preserved and passed down by the Khmer people in the South through many generations. This is an occasion to express the morality of "When drinking water, remember its source", to remember the merit of birth, to show gratitude to grandparents and parents, and to pray for the deceased to bless their children and grandchildren, and for the village to be happy.

Kanh-bund ceremony at Serey Techo Mahatup pagoda (Phu Loi ward).

During these days, the festive atmosphere at Khmer Theravada Buddhist pagodas in the South in general and Can Tho City in particular becomes bustling. Every night, from around 3am, many Buddhists bring offerings such as sticky rice, cakes, incense, candles, etc. to the monks to hold prayers for the deceased.

At Bai Chhau Pagoda (My Xuyen Ward), we saw groups of people carrying trays of rice balls and beautifully decorated offerings entering the main hall. Ms. Danh Thi Sa Phia, from Tai Van Commune, shared: “Every year, when the Kanh-bund festival season comes, my family takes the opportunity to go to the pagoda 3-4 nights to Bós-bai-bund (order rice balls), listen to monks chant sutras to pray for blessings, and show gratitude to grandparents and ancestors.”

Buddhists put rice balls around the main hall.

In the flickering candlelight and lingering incense smoke, trays of rice and offerings are neatly arranged in rows in the main hall or in the sala (lecture hall), creating a magical scene. When the sky just brightens, the prayers for the dead end, people bring sticky rice and cakes around the main hall, praying for the lonely souls who have no relatives to pay their respects.

While presenting offerings at Serey Techo Mahatup Pagoda (Bat Pagoda), Ms. Thach Thi Nary (Phu Loi Ward) expressed: "Bringing offerings and rice balls to the pagoda is not only to pray for the deceased but also to pray for peace and good health for the family and children."

According to Khmer customs, the Kanh-bund, Ph'chum-bund and Sene Dolta festival season begins on the 1st day of the month of the Roch, Khe Photh-tro-both and 1st day of the month of the A-such according to the Khmer calendar (ie from August 16 to September 1 of the lunar calendar). Achar Thach Sen, Head of the Management Board of Serey Techo Mahatup Pagoda, said: “In Khmer, 'Sene' means worship, 'Dol' means grandmother, and 'Ta' means grandfather. Therefore, Sene Dolta is an occasion for descendants to express their respect to their grandparents and ancestors. The festival season lasts for half a month with many rituals according to Buddhist customs, but the most important are the three main festival days.”

This year, the Sene Dolta ceremony takes place from September 21 to 23 (solar calendar). After the ceremony, people gather around the dinner table, inviting relatives and friends to join in the fun. It is both a moment of community bonding and a way to pass on and preserve traditional cultural values.

Venerable Dinh Hoang Su, Abbot of Peam Buol Thmay Pagoda (Phu Loi Ward), said: "Although not as bustling as Chol Chnam Thmay, Sene Dolta Festival has the typical religious nuances of the Khmer people in the South, deeply engraves the tradition of "A tree has its roots, a water has its source" of the nation."

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/kanh-bund-sene-dolta-cua-dong-bao-khmer-mua-tri-an-ong-ba-a191227.html