Wat Keo on Khmer New Year

March 23, 2021

On day one of the celebrations, we decide to go to Wat Keo for an alms giving ceremony. It was my first time. It’s one of the oldest pagodas in Battambang, in Southwest Cambodia. The temple is over 200 years old. However, it has remained in great shape!

Wat Keo at Battambong, Cambodia

I step inside the first hall. The ceiling and pillars are wooden made with decorative carvings. I’ve rarely seen old wooden carvings in temples since a lot of the carvings are out of stone at other temples. Going off the hall, there is a big Buddha statue and an emerald Buddha statue. “Keo” means emerald while “Wat” means pagoda in Khmer – the local tongue. So locals refer to this place as the “Pagoda of the Emerald” since it is unique to this place. It is also often referred to as the “White Crocodile Pagoda”. I wasn’t sure why, though, since I am from Siem Reap province, so I asked. The locals told me that there were two holy white crocodiles that lived under this pagoda in the past.

The statues of the white crocodiles they made in times past can be seen in the hall. The main hall is quite large and with raised ceilings, different from many of the other local pagodas. The complex looks very nice and has become one of my favorites.

Srong Preah Ceremony

After the almsgiving, we took part in the ‘Srong Preah’ ceremony. Fragrant water filled with jasmine or lotus flowers is used to bathe the Buddha statue. We do this to honor the Buddha and to pray for the bad luck/karma in the previous year to depart and for good luck to take its place for the New Year. For this ceremony, we can bathe the monks, elders, parents, and anyone we wish to honor. It’s one of the traditional ways to express thankfulness for the good deeds that they’ve done toward us. We typically do this ceremony at home for the parents for every Khmer New Year.

After ‘Srong Preah’, we continued to the countryside to see typical life in Battambang. The countryside house is made from palm leaves and bamboo trees. Tools that were used for farming can be seen around, along with an old-style kitchen and appliances, and an old oxcart. It’s nice to finish the days’ traditions with a reflection on the simple Khmer lifestyle of the countryside.