PCHUM BEN

Every year in the ninth lunar month, the Khmer

people celebrate the Festival of the Dead, or Pchum Ben, a 15-day period to remember and honor and placate the spirits of their deceased ancestors. (See the accompanying article from The Cambodia Daily for a description of this year's celebration.)
This is very similar to the Western Christian tradition of All Souls Day on 2 November, and in a somewhat unusual move, the Vatican has approved for the Khmer church the celebration of All Souls Day on Dak Ben, the 15th day of the Festival of the Dead.