As we turn the corner into the month of April, Cambodians around the world are preparing to celebrate the Khmer New Year, chol chnam Khmer, which falls on April 14th through 16th.

A three day event and a national holiday in Cambodia, the new year celebration marks the end of the harvest session, allowing farmers to take a well deserved break after working hard on the fields. 

Days leading to the New Year, homes and temples are cleaned and dusted. Fresh flowers and fruits are placed on the altar along side images or statues of Buddha. Incense and candles are lit to welcome the angel of the new year on the first day.

In our Khmer tradition, there are seven angels for each day of the week that the New Year may fall on. The new year day falls on a Wednesday, which means that the angel that will descend to Earth from the heavens is Mondar Tevy.

Wearing a fragrant flower tucked behind her ears and gemstones that look like the eyes of a cat, she holds a needle on her right hand and a cane on her left hand. She will arrive on a donkey to bless the Khmer people and watch over them in this year of the OX.

The second day of the new year is a day of giving, a time to give thanks and offer gifts to friends, family, the elderly and the community.

On Leung Sakk day or the final day of the new year, many flock to their local temples to participate in a ceremony to bathe the Buddha statues with scented water and flowers. The holy water, blessed by the chants of the Buddhist monks, is then sprinkled on the hands and feet of monks and elders by the young. A ceremony to seek forgiveness for any mistakes they may have committed and be blessed for the new year.

This event brings people together to celebrate their Khmer traditions of singing and dancing to Khmer music, playing traditional games, feasts and prayers for good luck in the new year.

Khmer foods such as num bak yok (Khmer noodle soup), somlor kokor (fish and pork vegetable soup) and chicken curries are prepared and taken to the temples to offer the Buddhist monks. The food is then shared in a feast amongst friends and members of the community.

For the indigenous Khmer-Krom people in the Mekong Delta of Vietnam, the Khmer New Year is more than just a celebration. It is time for them to return to their family and local villages and reconnect with their tradition and roots.

And yet many are facing the reality of not being able to return home because it is not a holiday recognized by Vietnam. Many will not return home, either because they cannot afford to or they may lose their job upon return from the celebration. 

Despite the many obstacles that are facing the Khmer-Krom people, many are still making an effort to celebrate their culture and traditions.

“The day is here, brothers and sisters of Khmer, city and countryside, have to stop working. Khmer New Year a tradition that cannot be forgotten,” sings Thach Phay during a dance practice on April 3rd in Khleang.

Indeed, regardless of where the Khmer children are living, whether it is inside of Kampuchea-Krom or abroad, the Khmer New year is an important tradition that should be celebrated because it is part of who we are as Khmer. 

And it brings more than just people together, it is an opportunity to proudly wear our traditional Khmer clothes and celebrate our rich culture and identity. An opportunity to pay respects to our spiritual leaders, our parents and elders and receive blessings in return for a better 2021.