PHNOM PENH: The Ministry of Religions is organizing a Meak Bochea ceremony at Oudong Mountain on February 25 and 25, 2024. It has asked that pagodas across the country join in the celebration and prepare accordingly.

Meak Bochea is one of the most important religious festivals of Buddhism and is celebrated on the full moon. It is a day for Buddhists to show that they are not neglecting their duties and that they are actively practicing their faith. Buddhists believe that actively practicing their religion can help to improve one’s quality of life and one's soul and spirit by following Buddhist principles, doing good deeds and cultivating a healthy mind.

With Buddhism as the state religion, the Ministry of Religions has instructed all provincial and municipal departments to encourage all pagodas to organize a Meak Bochea ceremony in accordance with national traditions and to select any pagoda that is appropriate to officially celebrate Meak Bochea. It also asked that local authorities team up with religious leaders to beautify and decorate their local pagodas with images of the Buddha, his birth and enlightenment. It also ordered the Buddhist flag be flown along side the national flag and the royal flag.

Religious leaders are invited to perform ceremony rites and lead meditations to purify the body, speech, and mind.

The Ministry also recommends cooperating with authorities at all levels to provide security during the festival and called on Buddhist philanthropists to participate in fulfilling their merits in a transparent manner for the benefit of maintaining national identity, tradition, Buddhism and promoting social morality.