Religion - The Definitive Guide to Moving to Southeast Asia: Cambodia - page 17

Religion
More than 90 percent of Cambodians are Buddhist. Everywhere you go, you'll see curling
spires of pagodas and bell-shaped stupas (tombstones holding ashes of deceased Buddhists)
andheartheearly-morningchantofmonkssummoningworshipperstospecialceremonies-
for the dead, for the newlyweds, for their ancestors, and for a multitude of occasions which
require a monk.
When Cambodian businesses open a new location, monks are always summoned to bless it.
When a couple gets on in years, their children bring in the monks for an aging ceremony.
When a baby is born, monks come to bless and name the infant. Not much of significance is
done in Cambodia without consulting the monks first. They are even used to select an aus-
picious date for important ceremonies or christenings.
According to their religion, Theravada monks can only eat two meals daily and are not al-
lowedtopreparefoodthemselves,sothelayBuddhistsinthecommunitycookandservethe
monks - which also earn them merit for their next lives.