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Sacred Dancers of Angkor in Meak Bochhea celebration

by Anders Jiras

Within the Angkor Wat sanctum, the Bakan, Sacred Dancers of Angkor perform the New Moon ritual in January 2018.

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Published: 2018

Author: Anders Jiras

Source: NKFC Cambodia

Prayers, chants and three dance rituals were dedicated to Lord Vishnu, King Suryavarman II and all the divinities and deities of Angkor, invoking the spiritual forces to bless the Land and the People. At the top of the central tower, a procession of 1250 candles in reverence of the 1250 disciples who gathered around Buddha to hear his last teachings.

Photos Anders Jiras/NKFC-Sacred Dancers of Angkor.

Watch Sacred Dancers of Angkor performing the ceremonial dance for entering Khmer New Year 2024 (BE 2568).

Tags: dance, rituals, Cambodian Buddhism, Bakan Angkor

About the Photographer

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Anders Jiras

Born in Goteborg (Sweden), Anders Jiras was a successful commercial photographer in his hometown when he was invited to cover a South East Asian Dance Festival in Singapore, in the 2000s. After extensively traveling through the region, he decided to focus on Cambodia and settle in the Kingdom of Wonder.
His artistic sensibility and keen approach to the mystical aspect of dancing have granted him access to the Royal Ballet, exclusive ceremonies performed by the Sacred Dancers of Angkor or healing rituals in remote villages. Anders also follows closely the modern dance scene in Cambodia.