Human Flower Project


Orrington, MAINE USA

flag flower bed
Murrieta, CALIFORNIA USA

parker basket thumb
Princeton, MAINE USA

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Bon Pka Prap in Lieu of a Car Wash


A Cambodian tradition makes the act of cash collection decorous and beautiful.


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Floral and cash arrangements, a Khmer charitable custom

Wat Khmer Metta, Chicago, Illinois

Photo: Vanna So

As a fund raiser, it sure beats a car wash or bake sale.

Till today, we’d never heard of Bon Pka Prak, the Cambodian money flower ceremony. Many thanks to Cindy Liese of the Elyria, Ohio, Chronicle for her announcement:

“A community of Buddhists celebrated the opening of a new temple on the city’s north side with food, music, meditation and the joyous ‘Money Flower’ procession Saturday night.” Liese reports, “Families carried offerings of money in flower arrangements as they circled the temple, which is decorated with colorful panels depicting scenes from the life of the Buddha.”

The event at the Watt Buddhavacanarama in Elyria seems to have been part grand opening, part every-member-canvass, and a human flower project, too. From what we’ve been able to learn this afternoon, the Bon Pka Prak is a floral custom that people of Khmer heritage—Cambodian Buddhists, in particular—often observe when money needs to be raised for a good cause.


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Posted by Julie on 08/28 at 09:42 PM
Culture & SocietyReligious RitualsSecular CustomsPermalink