Walking in Circles

When Cynthia informed me that there was no school on Friday because it was a holiday, I laughed and asked, "What holiday did Laum make up this time?"  (I knew there were no official public holidays until September.)  It turns out it is a real holiday - or rather a special occasion which will only take place this year.  I know what you're thinking.  Cambodia has a ton of holidays.  School is always closing for this or that holiday.  It may seem that way, but in reality, the schools in Cambodia are in session for many more days than the United States.  True, there are a lot of holidays, but they are only one day, and often occur in the middle of the week, so you can't go out of town, or out of the village in my case.  In the U.S., schools get a 2 week Fall break,  2 day Thanksgiving Break, 2 weeks for Christmas, long weekend for Easter, and then there is Spring Break.  That adds up to far more relaxation time.

King Father Norodom Sihanouk died a while ago, and today begins a 3 day ceremony to acknowledge his life and move his remains.  There will be a 13 kilometer procession in Phnom Penh where soldiers, police, and monks will take his ashes from the Royal Palace and bring them back to the Royal Palace.  I'm not sure why they need to march around for hours, only to return to the same place.  Anyway, his remains will be placed in the Silver Pagoda, next to his daughter's burial place.  She died of leukemia at age 4.  (The picture above shows the view from the Silver Pagoda at the King's Palace.  It's called the Silver Pagoda because the floor is made entirely of silver.)

The King was beloved by everyone, and 20,000 people lined the streets to watch the march.  I asked if anyone was doing anything special here in our village.  The teachers told me that some people will go to the pagodas to pay their respects, and some will watch the event on t.v. 

The monks began their usual chanting at just past 4 a.m. this morning.  They usually stop after a couple hours, but today they chanted all day.  I don't have to go to the pagoda to take part since their loudspeaker allows me to "enjoy" the ceremony right here in my bedroom.