Khmer New Year
Khmer New Year, literally "Enter New Year", is the name of the Cambodian holiday that celebrates the traditional Lunar New Year. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's Day, which usually falls on April 13th or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins. There is a mass migration as people leave the city and head back to the province where their families are from. Most everything in Phnom Penh shuts down for a couple of days, roads are crowded, and people flock to the countryside. During the celebration they visit family, make offerings at the pagoda, play games, sing, dance, eat special foods, throw water, and more.
Khmer people love to play games - games which to westerners might seem silly, but are lot's of fun. The school organized an afternoon where the Khmer staff at the school hosted a roof-top party to play traditional games and eat traditional Khmer food. It was SO much fun! We all got to act silly and play games for the afternoon. When is the last time you played 'musical chairs'? Remember that childhood game where a group of people circle a group of chairs where there is one less chair than people - then the music stops and everyone has to grab a seat and sit down - if you are left without a seat, you are out...and so it continues until there is a winner. Another game is like a 'hit the piñata' game where a person is blind-folded and turned around and around, then with verbal directions from on-lookers has to find and hit a clay pot hanging on a rope - when it breaks it doesn't shower down small candies with white powder! Other games included a hide the towel and chase game, a tug of war (men against women - happy to report that the women won 2 out of 3), a game of transporting water from a cup into your mouth, and into a bottle, and other games too difficult to explain! All in all, it was great fun!
Khmer people love to play games - games which to westerners might seem silly, but are lot's of fun. The school organized an afternoon where the Khmer staff at the school hosted a roof-top party to play traditional games and eat traditional Khmer food. It was SO much fun! We all got to act silly and play games for the afternoon. When is the last time you played 'musical chairs'? Remember that childhood game where a group of people circle a group of chairs where there is one less chair than people - then the music stops and everyone has to grab a seat and sit down - if you are left without a seat, you are out...and so it continues until there is a winner. Another game is like a 'hit the piñata' game where a person is blind-folded and turned around and around, then with verbal directions from on-lookers has to find and hit a clay pot hanging on a rope - when it breaks it doesn't shower down small candies with white powder! Other games included a hide the towel and chase game, a tug of war (men against women - happy to report that the women won 2 out of 3), a game of transporting water from a cup into your mouth, and into a bottle, and other games too difficult to explain! All in all, it was great fun!
