>Mellow Yellow Monday 003: Khmer New Year Offering
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Last week, we celebrated the Khmer New Year. It’s a 3-day celebration that started last April 14 and ended on April 16. Buddhists believed that on the first day of the New Year, apsaras or devatas (Khmer angels) descend to replace the old ones here guarding the earth. On the photo is my landlady preparing her “altar”, filled with candles, incense, fruits and other food to greet the new batch of angels. To know more about how the Khmer New Year is celebration, please read this post.
>Sunday Scenery 007: Summer sunset
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I was fussing over what to cook one Friday night when I looked out the kitchen window and saw this amazing view before me. Wouldn’t you agree?
>Skywatch Friday 004: Hot air balloon rides
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Just got back from a month-long holiday. So here’s my entry for this week’s Sky-watch Friday…
Experiencing temple-burn out? Try the balloon rides in Siem Reap! Now is the perfect time (summer) to do it, I guarantee you. For only $15 you get a tethered balloon ride 200meters above the ground and a spectacular view of the Angkor Wat complex amidst the the jungle and rice fields that surround it.
>Suosdei Chhnam Thmey!
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Our landlady preparing her offerings
“New Year in April?!?”, you may ask. Don’t worry, my non-Buddhist friends also asked me that in a rather incredulous tone, the same kind of incredulous response I get from them upon learning that after nine years, I am still here in Cambodia. But that’s another story.
To answer the question… yes, dear friends. Not all cultures celebrate the new year on January 1st, and one of them is Cambodia.
The Khmer New Year started Tuesday, April 14. It began around 1:36pm, according to the Buddhist astrology, and runs until today, April 16th. Here, and in other Buddhist countries such as Thailand and Sri Lanka, among others, the new year is based on astrological calculations. When the old year ends and the new year begins, is also based on these calculations. So the year here now is 2553 BE (Buddhist Era) — that is, 2,553 years since Buddha achieved enlightenment and entered the state of nirvana.
The first day of the celebration is called the grand Maha Songkran, or the first day of the Khmer New Year. According to the Buddhist beliefs, angels known as apsaras or devatas come down to replace the old ones here to watch the earth. Cambodians clad in their best clothes go to wats and pay homage to Buddha and offer food to the monks.
And this is our offering at home
The second day is called vanabot. It is the time when families donate or give to their less fortunate neighbours and relatives. They also go to wats for a special ceremony dedicated to their ancestors. The third day is called leung sakk, and the one I like the most. Cambodians wash all their Buddha statues in scented water. Children pay respects to their elders by washing their feet in water, and in turn, they are blessed by them. Read more about Khmer New Year traditions here.
A facade of Buddhist wat decorated for the Khmer New Year celebrations
>Photographer on Leave
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I’m off to the land of million elephants, Laos, tomorrow, via Phnnom Penh-Stung Treng-Pakse-Vientiane-Luang Prabang-Vientiane route. The husband and I will be on a two-week holiday — a much anticipated R and R. As I am looking at more time spent on rural areas where internet access is rare, I might not be able to update as much as I’d like to. I will, however, give you a detailed account of my road trip, with pictures, when I return. Ciao!
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