We all know that scarecrow (ទីងមោង) is the object that farmers in literally every culture use to keep pesky birds away. Things are the same in Cambodia, when the harvesting season is approaching, farmers place scarecrows in the field. Our scarecrows are made of large sticks with coconut or other round objects for a head. We dress them in old clothes, sometimes we also give them a cap to resemble humans even more. Harvesting season is also super windy so the clothes move, giving the impression of a moving person. And that is how we keep birds away from our rice fields. We actually have 3 types of scarecrows in Cambodia, and you should definitely check them out below.
Scarecrows & Evil Spirits
In the past decade, Cambodian people in rural areas have started another new custom. We also saw many of such a practice in many villages during Covid-19 pandemic as well. The custom is that villagers place scarecrows in front of their houses or lands to scare evil spirits away. What’s different is that they put more effort into this type of scarecrow than the ones for the fields. Despite still using used clothes, those clothes secondhand bought which are still in good condition. Unlike the scarecrows for the field that are dressed in old worn-out clothes. The idea is to make the scarecrow resemble a human as closely as possible.
Scary Objects & Evil Spirits
In our culture, we believe that evil spirits cause cholera, epidemics, and other diseases that harm people in the village. During the dry season when water is scarce and the hygiene practice is not proper, these issues often occur in the villages. So before or when someone starts to become sick, each village always has its own method to prevent such occurrences. And by preventing such occurrences, we are talking about warding off the evil spirits from their villages.
The method is by drawing scary faces on old pots or wood planks and then putting them by the home entrance. This has nothing to do with the scarecrows but it represents Yaksha and other non-human beings with just a head. By keeping them at the entrance, they believe that they will protect them and prevent the evil spirits from coming to their houses. Just like scarecrows that keep the birds out, these objects keep the evil spirits out.
Giant Scarecrow
This is something that you have never seen before, and seeing one is truly a memorable experience. As a Theravada Buddhist practice, Vassa is the time when the monks retreat from leaving the pagoda. This annual retreat takes place during the rainy season, and it lasts for 3 lunar months from July to October. Before Vassa begins, you will see old people and members in the pagoda going around to collect donations from Buddhists. The fund is to purchase candles, kerosene, food, and other important items for the monks during Vassa.
What Is Tingmong?
During this event, you will also see huge scarecrows that could be men or women walking with the group. They dance and move around to the rhythm of the traditional music played, and they also accept donations. However, modern music is also played to attract more audiences. This giant scarecrow is called Tingmong (ទីងមោង), and they come in various designs and appearance as the time advances. The structure is made from bamboo with a hollow body to fit a human in there. People dress Tingmong in bright clothes while the head has a human face. The thing is that it used to be just a regular man or woman for the face. Now, you will come across Korean idols or even Cambodian celebrities to attract more attention from the passerby.
History
Originally, we called the giant scarecrow “Yak Jeal” (យក្សជាល) because the face of the scarecrow was drawn to resemble a Yaksha. The purpose is to scare and ward off any evil spirits away from the village. However, things started to change during the French Colonization for decades so Cambodian people’s mindsets also changed from those times. We were afraid of French people, villagers ran away or hid themselves whenever they saw French people in their villages. They found them scary because of their pointy nose, bearded face, and tall stature appearances while speaking the language we didn’t understand.
Then, people stopped drawing Yaksha’s face on the scarecrows and replaced it with French men’s appearance instead to ward off evil spirits. Now here’s the thing, even people are afraid of giant scarecrows due to their big bodies and extra height. Even to this day, many Cambodian people are intimidated by the scarecrows and kids don’t even look back as they run away. The funny part is definitely when the giant scarecrow chases the kids, even funnier if the giant scarecrow falls.
Related Post: Things You Don’t Know About Spirit Houses