The ceremony began as a parade down the main street of town. The people involved assembled at the far end of town, near where the road forks in two. They carried several litters of bananas, cooking pots, and two small dark Buddhas carved from jade. A band of musicians joined, clashing symbols and playing the trou-u. Some dancers dressed as peacocks, and together with the large band walked down the main road under the hot October sun. And where was I in all this? I was quietly watching the crowd go by when a man carrying a heavy litter loaded with metal pots asked that I take over for him. Naturally, I took the weight of the wooden beam off his shoulders, and marched towards Wat Char Chouk. The sweat streamed down from my face, and I fanned myself vigorously whenever we took a break. When we reached the gates of the wat, we circled the vihira twice before setting the litter down and going inside. The atmosphere inside the vihira was rather pleasant, for the high ceiling of the building allowed the heat to evaporate. The cool tile floor and the cross breeze from the windows was also welcome. The gifts were placed in a line in the center of the room, and the monks sat in standard formation around them facing each other. The abbot sat at the head with his back to the altar, and beckoned me over to his position before the ceremony started. He asked when I was going back to America, and lit a cigarette as he lamented about the high temperature of the day. I went to go sit back down next to a yaye, who was chewing betel nut and spitting it into a metal cup. An electric fan was finally brought for the abbot, and the ceremony began. The recitation of prayers began, and the people responded with murmurs and prostration when appropriate. When it ended, people began to go outside.
In the courtyard outside the vihira, a dancing troupe was assembled in front of a small stone Buddha. I have seen Khmer dancing in the villages and on display for tourists, and I rather prefer the experience in the village. The people know exactly what they are looking at, and they respond to the story lines of the dance with laughs and jeers instead of vacant expressions and camera flashes. And how nice it is to see what entertainment was like before drunken, loud karaoke and cell phones! An orchestra of xylophones, bells, a reed instrument, and singers sat in front of the Buddha and played behind the dancers. My favorite dance that I saw was the courtship between Hanuman and a magie.
A magie, as a co-teacher explained to me, is a sort of mythical princess. I suppose it is similar to a nymph, or some minor god in Greek mythology. She made her appearance in a splendid blue costume, with a pointed golden crown and a crystal ball. Her movements were languid, and she weaved her hands through the air as if caressing the sides of an invisible snake. Suddenly, Hanuman appeared in a red costume with golden epilates pointed upwards and a splendid expression on his monkey mask. Hanuman, as you may know, is the king of monkeys. His grin reveals mischief, and is often portrayed as a trickster. After making his entrance, he made advances towards the magie. It may as well have been Zeus chasing after a nymph of some kind, although Zeus seemed to have much more luck on his side that poor Hanuman, for the magie rejected his propositions. The orchestra played, and a monk fiddled with an electric light on a bamboo pole. Hanuman tried to place the magie under his spell by a series of finger movements that pushed her backwards, but the magie countered this and returned him to his original place. The crowd laughed at Hanuman’s humiliation, and the king of monkeys suddenly became very angry. He removed a small wooden axe from his belt and waved it threateningly in the air. His actions seemed to frighten the poor magie. In order to propitiate him enough to calm him down, she offered Hanuman the crystal ball that she held in her hand throughout the dance. As soon as he touched it, he became very tired. While he lay down on the ground to sleep, the magie made her escape. When Hanuman woke up, the magie was no longer there. With his efforts foiled, he too made an exit and concluded the dance.
With the entertainment now over, the abbot thanked the crowd and the dancers for coming as everyone shuffled off to dinner.
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