The Ghosts of Cambodia

 \  Buddhism and Hinduism exist in a strange blend here where individual beliefs and family traditions dominate how people in this very religious country worship their gods.  Where typically Buddhists refrain from eating meat, Cambodians proudly eat anything.  According to our driver, his favorite food in fact was crickets with beer although recently he had developed an allergy to crickets (not something that Americans normally have to deal with J). Some 30,000 monasteries exist in this country of only 15 million people. The Buddhist chanting was caused by townspeople bringing monasteries offerings of food so that during a particular holy period the Buddhist monks will allow the souls of the departed to be fed and have a reprieve from hell if they are unfortunately there. Spirits and ghosts are not just to be helped if they are in hell.  In fact, each house has a small spirit box into which breakfast will be presented as an offering every morning by people who struggle to find food for themselves. 

Below is a spirit box.

Every other house has a stuffed figure of a man or woman wielding a weapon to ward away evil ghosts.  Perhaps in a country where the horrors of the past linger so near a heavy on the present such wardings are to be expected.

Here is one such figure wielding a fearsome stick axe.

Not to be out done this one has a bazooka.