| Shrines |
14 April 2010—Yesterday, the first day of the three-day new year celebration, had a special religious emphasis to it. People set up small shrines honoring Buddha in their homes and businesses. These are photos of different religious offerings I observed while riding around Phnom Penh on my bicycle early in the morning.
Virak Wanabat is the name of the second day of the new year celebration. People charitable offerings to the less fortunate and help the poor, servants, homeless people, and low-income families. Families attend a dedication ceremony to their ancestors at the monastery. [From Wikipedia]
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| Most shrines are set up in very public parts of the house, probably because that is where the light is and where everything else is done. This woman adds incense to the shrine in her telephone shop. |
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| This woman offers prayers to Buddha while her teenage son looks on, like teenage sons around the world. |
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| This woman has set up a small shrine in the corner of her drinks shop, where it won't impede any last-minute shoppers coming in for holiday softdrinks and beer. |
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| This husband and wife take it easy on a holiday morning after setting up their shrine. |
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| This man has a shrine in the doorway of his home. Judging from this series of photos, Buddha is partial to Coke and orange Fanta. |
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| This shop sells rice, by the kilogram from the open sacks, or in the 50-kg sacks stacked in back. Their shrine emphasizes fruit and flowers. |
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| This shrine has a bright table cloth and a taller display than most. [Notice my reflection, taking the picture from my bicycle, in the glass door.] |
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| Having set up the shrine in their home, this woman tends to her husband. |
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| Even the gas station has a shrine, but it's small and set back so as not to be in the way of holiday travelers who come by for a liter of gasoline for their motorcycle. |
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| This little convenience store, a staple of the Cambodian economy, set its shrine right on top of the main display case. |
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| This shop fixes electronics like televisions and rents audio equipment for weddings and funerals. And probably repairs and sells old fans. They have their little shrine, too. |
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