Cambodians on Wednesday began their traditional 15-day Pchum Ben festival to pay respects to deceased relatives. (Photo: AP)
Buddhist offer prayers during a ceremony to celebrate Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at Barach Buddhist pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. (Photo: AP)
Cambodians followers prepare a lunch for Buddhist monks during celebrations of Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at a Buddhist pagoda in Krang Tnung on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Food-offerings are made to benefit the ghosts. (Photo: AP)
uddhist devotees prepare rice for monks during a ceremony to celebrate Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at Barach Buddhist pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. Ghosts of the dead are presumed to be active when the gates of hell open. (Photo: AP)
Buddhist monks chant prayers before having lunch together during a ceremony to celebrate Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at Barach Buddhist pagoda on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Saturday, Sept. 9, 2017. The event is said to occur once a year and is linked to cosmology of King Yama. (Photo: AP)
Cambodian Buddhist followers receive their blessing from a monk, right, during celebrations of Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at a Buddhist pagoda in Krang Tnung on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. Monks chant the suttas in Pali language overnight as the gates of hell open. (Photo: AP)
Cambodians light candles and incense sticks during celebrations of Pchum Ben, or Ancestors' Day, at a Buddhist pagoda in Krang Tnung on the outskirts of Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Wednesday, Sept. 6, 2017. It is a time for Cambodians to pay their respects to deceased relatives. (Photo: AP)
Pchum Ben festival: Cambodians pay respect to deceased relatives