Meak Bochea, Cambodia

On the full moon of the third lunar month, celebrate Meak Bochea Day, which commemorates the day when a spontaneous assembly of monks came to hear the Buddha’s sermon on three key Buddhist principles: “The non-doing of evil / the full performance of what is wholesome / the total purification of the mind.” To celebrate this day, Cambodians visit local temples to make merit. As night settles in, candle processions known as Wien Tien circumambulate the temples, accompanied by apsara dancers and chhai-yam drummers in traditional costume.