Happy Cambodian New Year 2023==> How To Celebrated it.
The Choul Chnam Thmey or Happy Cambodian New Year is one of the biggest and happiest events in Cambodia, signalling the end of the harvest period and the start of a new year. April 13th to 15th Festivities and Traditions of the New Year. Check out everything the Cambodian New Year is about in 2023.
Day One: Maha Songkran
Symbolic Washing: The ritual of sweeping homes, public spaces, and marinating food item held on Maha Songkran in the first day of New Year. That night, families meet up and clean their houses very well — in order to sweep away all bad luck from the last year.
Sand Mound Day : On this day people also excavate, temples and earmark mounds of sand, that are later crowned with small flags and flowers. In this way, it is thought as good luck with blessings form ancestor deadpools and Buddha.
Day Two: Vanabot
Day 2: Vanabot (Charity) Cambodians give alms and offer food to monks as well as to the poor. Quintessentially a generous one, this act of giving is to encourage a generous year and some good karma for the year ahead.
Family Celebrations: People celebrate this day to pay respects to their elders. Younger members wash their elders' feet, or hands as a sign of respect, thanks, and for blessings. It is also a day of connecting with friends and family to build community.
Day Three: Leang Sakk
New Beginnings: Day 3, Leang Sakk — Cambodians all wash their Buddha statues with scented water, symbolizing a sign of purification and cleansing of all the sins. They will also pour water on each other, this may be fun yet it has a lot more meaning, by spreading water you are washing away the bad luck and misfortune.
Games and recreation : Traditional games such as "Bos Angkunh", "Leak Kanseng", and "Tug of war" are played especially in rural areas as community bonding activities. Since the history of these games dates back a thousand year in Cambodia, they are played to traditional music and dance to showcase the cultural grandeur of the country.
Importance of the Celebrations
Importance of Cultural Preservation: Happy Cambodian New Year is not just a time to celebrate with food and drink, rituals and festivities; it is a time to recognize the importance of cultural preservation, the importance of strengthening familial bonds and community spirit. A time of reflection, renewal, and joy.
Tourist Attraction: The colorful festivals attract international visitors to experience Cambodia's colorful festivals as well as Cambodian hospitality.
Happy Cambodian New Year 2023 is more than just a celebration as it is a highly insightful reflection of the very essence of the Cambodian cultural identity: REPECT, COMMUNITY CARE, and HOPE. The activities of this festival represent the core values, beliefs and tradition which are inherited generations over generations in Cambodian society, starting from its symbolic cleansing in the first day to the playful water throwing in the last day.