History of Bondat Protib of Khmer

Once upon a time, a male and a female crow made a nest in a tree by the seaside. The female laid five eggs, as is normal for these birds. One day, a big storm came, and the wind blew the nest fell from tree down to the sea. That evening, when the crows were back from finding food, they knew their nest was destroyed by big storm, and the five white eggs of them floated on the water of see to another where. The both of male and female crows dropped a lot of tears down until dead with regret about the loss of their eggs, and went to the heaven, where they took the name Preah Etrea Thi Rach.

Meanwhile, the five eggs were separated, and each was ashore in a different place. One was found by a chicken, one by a tiger, another by a cow, one by a King of dragon, and the other by a turtle. Each animal picked the egg of crow up and brought to home with taking a good care of it. Soon after that, eggs hatched, and the baby boy was born by each egg of crow. The five animals provided a growing up to baby boys by love and good care, they each wondered about their parents, “If I am a person, why are parents, animals? Each animal made sure their boys studied hard, and saved merits up for themselves.

All of the animal parents said the same thing to their sons in each of their homes that “If you are ever successful in this world, please put my name with yours”. In the modern times, there are five Buddhas called Kakothour (Chicken); Kovnea Kommanor (dragon); Kasakbor (turtle); Kot Tamo (Cow); and the last Siri Acharmattayor (tiger). Later in their lives, the five men become a Buddhas in sequence, the eldest first. Each of Buddhas took the name of the animal parents that raised them up to grow.

When the five men left their animal parents, they all met each other and soon realized the life-story of them was the same and the age was the same, so they regarded each other as siblings and decided to live together. One day, when the five men were talking about who was their the real parents, their parents’ spirits, called Preah Etrea Thi Rach, turned themselves into white crows like they used to be, and flew to sit on a tree near their sons. Then the bird said, “The Crows who talk to you are your real parents”.

The five men knelt down and prayed to them, to show how much they regretted not being able to look after them. The crows gave answer back, “If all of you miss us and want to give something to us, you must draw our legs on things that you want to dedicate to us, and we will receive them”. After completed saying the two white crows disappeared. The five men remembered what their true parent had said, and went together to study art and become priests in the forest.

Whenever they did a good deed, the five men would dedicate it to their parents, to say thank you. And all of everything they dedicated to their parents, they draw the legs of a crow, and then sent them by floating away on the water stream. So this is how the tradition of Bondat Pratib, or the floating boats, was born up to now.