Balinese procession departing from Besakih
Balinese procession departing from Besakih
Several Buddhist temples have been formed by Cambodians and Thais in the Delaware Valley area. While some are storefront sanctuaries, a temple partly in the Thai style, Wat Mongkoltepmunee, has been constructed at 3304 Knights Road, Bensalem, Pennsylvania. While the multiplicity of temples in Southeast Asia attests to their significance, it is important to remember that religion in Asia tends to be less exclusive and religious ritual less place-bound than in the West. Buddhism, Islam, and Roman Catholicism in Southeast Asia all tend to merge into local forms of popular religion, much of it practiced at home.
Roman Catholic masses aimed primarily at the Filipino community are held at 11:00 each Sunday at the San Augustine Roman Catholic Church on Fourth Street at the foot of the Ben Franklin Bridge in Philadelphia. When a Filipino priest is available, the mass is conducted in Tagalog.
|
The most visible Southeast Asian celebrations in the Philadelphia area focus on the New Year. The Vietnamese follow the Chinese in celebrating the New Year on the second new moon after the winter solstice, which generally occurs in late January or early February. Several of the local Vietnamese restaurants have special New Year's dinners; even some of the Atlantic City casinos have Vietnamese New Year's events (aimed at a Vietnamese clientele; the ads are only in Vietnamese). Laotians and Cambodians use a Buddhist calendar that generally places New Year's in April. The Hmong generally celebrate New Year's in late December. The Balinese have a 210 day year, with New Year's occuring every thirty weeks, so New Year's occurs at a different time each year--and it is possible for two Balinese new years to occur within one of our calendar years! Local associations of Southeast Asian ethnic groups sometimes organize New Year's celebrations which interested outsiders are welcome to attend. |
| Start | Introduction | Museums | Neighborhoods | Working | Ritual | Web |
updated October 23, 2003
