khmer new year

In Cambodia, Khmer New Year is the greatest traditional festival, and also it is the greatest national holiday because it is three days of festival and sometimes can be four days. Khmer New Year begins on April 13th or can be on April 14th, depending on the "MohaSangkran," which is the ancient horoscope. In fact, Khmer New Year originally began on the first day of the first month in lunar calendar, which can be in November or the beginning of December. In the Angkor Era, the 13th Century, the Khmer King, either Suriyavaraman II or Jayavaraman VII, was the one who changed the New Year to the fifth month of the lunar calendar, in April by the solar calendar. 95% of Khmer population are farmers, and the period from November through March is the busiest season for Khmer farmers to reap or harvest the crops from the rice fields. Khmer people can find free time in April because there is no rain, and it is very hot, so Khmer farmers have the time to take vacation after they have worked very hard to gather the rice crops from their rice fields to get their income. Therefore, April is the right time for Khmer in Cambodia to celebrate New Year. The Khmer New Year festival originated from Bramhmanism, a part of Hinduism, which was a religion that Khmer believed in before Buddhism. Later on Buddhism became associated with the festival and then took all the important roles in the festivity.

Theravada Buddhism has been the official religion in Cambodia, although Christianity and animism are also found. For many centuries monks had lived in wats (temple monasteries) in every community in Cambodia. They practiced and taught that the suffering we all experience can be traced to desire or passion. The way to escape constant suffering is to diminish one's desire of lust, aggression, avariciousness, and deceit.

During the war between 1970 and 1975 more than one-third of the 3,369 wats were destroyed; many of the 65,000 monks and novices were killed or became refugees. Between 1975-1979, Pol Pot and the Khmer Rouge sought to systematically completely obliterate Buddhism from Cambodian society. It was not until after the invasion of Cambodia by the Vietnamese in 1979 that Buddhism was permitted to be restored in Cambodia. An official report in 1982 stated that 2,311 monks had returned to the Buddhist order (Keyes, 1990).

Most Cambodians consume locally brewed rice wine. Foreign beers and liquors are abundant but tend to be expensive.

The rice wine is usually consumed after herbs, tree bark and/or wild animal parts have been added to it. The concoction is believed to help sustain good health, have medicinal properties and improve energy levels. It is popular with laborers and the poor. Women also use it after giving birth.

n Cambodia may people drink locally brewed rice wine that is relatively inexpensive. It often has herbs, tree bark and/or wild animal parts added and it believed to have medicinal properties. Because of the demand for higher alcohol content, recently some brewers started to spike the wine with insecticides which caused death, blindness and other illnesses. Consequently the Cambodian Ministry of Health appealed to the people to quit drinking the locally brewed rice wine.

Traditionally Cambodians smoked and gave cigarettes as offerings and gifts. Most men and some women smoke. Multinational cigarette companies have successfully encouraged Cambodians to smoke more.

Khmer New Year, a harvest festival celebrated every April, is the biggest festival of the year. Many common foods are produced in larger masses for this three-day festival, and sweet rice cakes with a variety of stuffings are baked. Prachum Ben is another popular holiday, celebrated in the fall. On this day, people take food and offerings to the temple for the monks and ask for forgiveness for wrongs committed during the year. This is also when spirits with bad karma are allowed to visit. Steamed sweet rice wrapped and tied in banana leaves is a common treat for Prachum Ben.

Cambodian Noodle Soup, served on New Years, Prachum Ben and at housewarmings, is a special occasion dish representing long life. The soup is made with fish, lemon grass, lemon leaf, turmeric and coconut milk, and served with fresh vegetables, such as string beans, bean sprouts, shredded green papaya and sour leaf.