Wat
Wat Bordeaux (France)
Wat Bordeaux is a Khmer Buddhist pagoda in Ambarès-et-Lagrave, near Bordeaux, France, also known as the Khmer Cultural Center of Bordeaux.[1] It gathers the Khmer community of the region.[1]
History
The Khmer Mutual Aid Association of Bordeaux (Association d'entraide khmère de Bordeaux, AEKB) was founded in 1979. Led by the Venerable Touch Sarith, it first set up its pagoda in Bordeaux, which soon became too small. In 1984, with help from the pagoda in Créteil and the support of Cambodians across France, its members and friends moved the pagoda for good to Ambarès.[2] Sud Ouest called it the second pagoda in France, after the one in Créteil (Wat Khemararam (Créteil)).[2]
The association later became the Cambodian Mutual Aid Association of Aquitaine (Association d'entraide cambodgienne d'Aquitaine, AECA), a name chosen to reflect the community's ties to Khmer culture and identity. By 2014 the pagoda was again too small to hold everyone at Khmer New Year, Visak Bochea and the Festival of Flowers. The community bought the house next to the pagoda, paid for mainly by AECA funds and gifts from members and friends in France and other countries. Its leaders planned short stays for elderly people, trainees and travelers, advanced Cambodian language classes, and a library of documents on Cambodia for worshippers.[2] Chey Soeun, president of the Khmer Cultural Center of Bordeaux, said in 2014 that welcoming the faithful came first, along with passing on the values of gratitude, tolerance and sharing to younger generations.[2]
A 2011 Temple News listing gave the address as 35, rue de Sabarège, with the telephone number 05.56.77.50.47.[3]
Community
The center works to preserve Khmer culture, traditions and customs, especially among young people.[1] Its yearly celebrations include Khmer New Year, the festival of the dead in September, and the festival of offerings, when robes are given to the monks, in October or November.[1]
Associations
Association d'entraide cambodgienne d'Aquitaine (AECA)
(operating organization).[4]
Legal name: Association d'entraide cambodgienne d'Aquitaine.
Founded in 1979 as the Association d'entraide khmère de Bordeaux (AEKB), which established the pagoda and moved it to Ambarès in 1984; later renamed AECA. The town of Ambarès-et-Lagrave lists Entraide Cambodgienne d'Aquitaine as the association gathering the community at the pagoda.