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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, Second Session (52-2)
2012-10-18 Daily Xml
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PCHUM BEN

Mrs VLAHOS (Taylor) (15:41): That is ominous, Mr Acting Speaker. I rise today to speak about an event I attended in celebration of deceased ancestors, known as Pchum Ben, or Ancestor Day, with the local Cambodian community in my electorate of Taylor on Sunday 14 October. I had the privilege of attending this event for the first time at a new temple I had not been to, the Watt Preah Puth Mean Chey Association at MacDonald Park. Indeed, my trainee introduced me to the community there, as she practises her faith there.

Pchum Ben is one of the most significant religious festivals in the Cambodian calendar, and, for many Cambodians, it is a time to pay one's respect to deceased relatives, ancestors and friends. It is also a time for gathering of family and friends together. The Cambodian people prepare and bring offerings to the monks as an act of kindness and also bring food for their deceased ancestors.

By offering food, it is believed to be an act that will call out to the spirits to come and join the celebration and to let them know that they are not forgotten. At the celebration, I was welcomed by members of the association, such as the Venerable Bac Horng Ly, the Venerable Phoen Pheun, Mr Sokhom Kun, the Watt Preah Mean Chey President, Mr King Sokom, the clergyman, and Ms Dany Yon, the President of the Cambodian Association of South Australia.

I was warmly welcomed by the association to participate in its cultural ceremonies on the day, such as the Bang Skoll. During the Bang Skoll ritual I was blessed by monks with holy water whilst the monks chanted. The association invited me to participate in the ceremony, which involved the community gathering in a circle with a bowl of rice (it is something I have also done at Cambodian new year).

As the monks walk around the circle, each person would place a spoonful of rice in the bowl in the monks' arms. A small monetary donation is also placed inside the Buddhist monks' money bag. Then we sat on the floor with the other community members and listened to the prayer chants of the monks. These rituals are acts of reflection which celebrate the deceased ancestors and their lives.

The main hall of the temple facility has been largely renovated in this community, and they plan to build a new facility with a new hall and a library for religious and recreational purposes, which will be quite spectacular. The proposed facilities for the future will be assisted by more Cambodians sharing these special traditions and culture in the area.

Facilities will also be used to accommodate other religious events, such as Ancestors Day in September and the new year celebrations in the lunar months of March and April. This upgrade is vital for the growth of the Cambodian community in the north of Adelaide, which is thriving. Eating and sharing food is one of a number of ways that are commendable acts that I was fortunate enough to share on the day, and I commend the association not only for their generosity of spirit and sharing this special occasion with me but also the warm welcome they offered to me and my staff, as well as Julie Woodman, a councillor from Salisbury.

I would also particularly like to place on the record my thanks to Nakry Sim, my trainee, who will shortly finish with me, and her family for their welcoming and kind translations on the day of both my speeches, as well as being welcomed into their family. I see multiculturalism as a highly-valued asset in our state, and I can say that, in my electorate, it is more welcome and blessed because of it. I commend this grievance.

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