PHNOM PENH (Xinhua): Cambodia on Sunday began to celebrate the three-day traditional Pchum Ben festival, or Ancestor's Day.
In a special video message, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Manet said the Pchum Ben festival is a Cambodian tradition that has been observed annually since ancient times.
"It is an occasion that the Cambodian people are engaged in alms-giving and merit making to dedicate to their relatives and loved ones who have passed away," he said. "It is also a joyful occasion for family reunions."
Pchum Ben festival is the second-biggest celebration for Cambodian people after the Lunar New Year.
During the celebrations, the Cambodian Buddhists go to pagodas and make offerings to monks in order to dedicate to their deceased relatives and loved ones.
They believe that everything they offer to the monks will reach their dead ancestors or relatives and in return, the dead will bless them with good luck.
Buddhists account for approximately 95 percent of the kingdom's population of 17 million, according to the Ministry of Cults and Religions.
During the holiday, hundreds of thousands of migrant workers leave the capital, Phnom Penh, for their hometowns in various provinces across the South-East Asian country.
Hun Manet said on the occasion that the Phnom Penh City Bus Authority has arranged 597 buses to transport people to and from their hometowns for free of charge from Sept. 20 to Sept. 25.
"The free bus services aim to facilitate people's travel and help reduce travel costs for them," he said. - XInhua
