Khmer New
Year
Khmer New Year is another biggest
national festival held every year by Cambodian people all cross the country. It
is also the best time for people to get together with family members, relatives
and friends since it the 3 day-off public holiday in Cambodia. People have the
most joyful time of the year. They generally, clean up their house and decorate
it with vibrant lights. They bring food to the pagoda, play fun Khmer
traditional games, have traditional dances and have party at respective family
happily.
Tradition of Khmer New Year
Traditionally, Khmer New Year ceremony
is celebrated for 3 days. The first day is called Moha Sankran, the second day
is Vonabat, the third day is Leng Sak. As for the determination of the end of the
month, day, hour, and minute for the transition of the old to the new year
deity is done based on ancient astrological rule, the Great Sankranti rule.
What month is Khmer New Year’s Day
celebrated in? On which day? From the time of Nokor Thom, Cambodia used to
calculate the number of days and months according to the lunar calendar (lunar
calendar), so the Khmer marked the month of Margashirsh as the new year and the
first month of the Kadek month which literally is the month 12. Later, Cambodia
shifted to the solar calendar.
From that time of the Khmer set the
New Year in the month of Chet, which is the fifth month, because in this month,
the sun travels from Min Reasey to Me Reasey. Khmer New Year's Day is always celebrated
on the 13th day of April (Chet) every year, but occasionally Khmer New Year also
falls on April the 14th. The Moha Sankran which uses the method of calculation
based on solar astrology is called the "Saman Sankran translated as Simple
Sankran" (the sun goes straight above the head as Sankranti).
Maha Sankran, which uses the lunar
calendar as method of calculation, is called "Ayantak Sankranti"
(when the sun moves obliquely from above). The moon is still used in reference
to the sun because the moon is associated with many Buddhist precepts. On the
other hand, the lunar New Year is irregular, sometimes it is in Knert (The moon
is getting fuller), sometimes it is Ronnorch (The moon is getting darker and
darker). But in between one month it is not before day 4 of Knert in Chet month
(dry sean) and not over day 4 of Pisak. Thus, some Sankranti fall into the
month of Pisak.
For various ceremonies, Khmer people have the following traditional arrangements. Before the New Year, they get ready to find food, clean the house, fetch water to fill all the water jars, collect firewood, and get new clothes. On New Year's Day, to welcome the new year deity, some offerings such as a pair of Bai Sey (a type of rice), a pair of Sla Thor (made of a coconut, candle, cigarettes, banana tree), 5 candles, 1 pair of perfumes, flowers, pop rice, 1 bottle of water and soft drinks, cakes and all types of fruits.
The houses are decorated with colorful
light bulbs or colorful lanterns to welcome the new deity. When the time of new
deity descending from the heaven to the earth as a turn taker with the old year
deity, Cambodia people get together with all family member sitting together
near the offerings and lit up the candles, incenses, spray the perfume and pray
for the happiness and prosperity from the new deity. As for the relics and
offerings to the deity, it is customarily prepared base on the favor of the new
deity. For example, if the new deity to
descend to the earth eat eats sesame seeds and bean they offer sesame seeds and
bean.
What to do during the three days of
the Khmer New Year
Day 1 or Maha Songkran: People bring food to the
pagoda for the monks to dedicate to the ancestors who had passed way. In the
evening, people collect sand to build sand hills around the stupas, pagoda or
around a specific banyan tree. At dust, soft drinks are served to the monks and
invite the monk to give sermon and give Buddhist teaching to the Buddhists.
Day 2 or Virak Vanabat: Children traditionally
give new clothes, cakes, money to their parents and grant parents. Sometimes,
people even help the poor with food and money. In the afternoon, they go back
to the pagoda to continue building sand dunes which ared supposed to be like
the Cholamni stupa, and summoned the monks to do Bangsakol for the stupa to
send blessings to the souls of the dead.
Day 3 or Vearak Loeng Sak: In the morning, people
invite the monks to inaugurate the sand dunes. In the evening, the monks are
invited for bathing and clean the Buddha’s statues (according to the custom of
some villagers). On the Khmer New Year’s Day, people play a lot of fun
traditional games, such Bos Ankon (throwing a Ankon), Jol Chhong (throwing ball
of a scarf), Tean Prot (pulling a rope), Leak Konseng (hiding a scarf), Jab
Konkleng (catching a baby bird), etc., and have traditional dances called Robam
Trot or Rom Vorng dance based on people’s favorites.
Vealuk Jetdai - Building sand dunes
Vealuk Jetdai is simply called building the sand dunes. First people collect pure sand from other places to put at a designated place and build it to form shape like a stupa facing east and they supposedly call it “ Vealuk Jetdai” and it represents Vealuk Jetdai that was constructed to keep the head and the crystal chin of the Buddha. Building the dune is now popularly used the rice as an alternative to sand and they do in on the dinning building or inside the pagoda. The sand dunes that are piled up are not limited to small, high or low, but are built to the satisfaction of the builder. But there needs to be a hill in the middle and four smaller hills around in all four directions.
