Human Flower Project
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.
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.
Culture & Society • Religious Rituals • Secular Customs • Permalink