+Happy Khmer New Year

Happy Khmer New Year

Susdei Chnam Thmei May the New Year Angel bring you and your family prosperity, joy and peace.

The History of the Khmer New Year Celebration

An interesting Khmer New Year Legend

The celebration of the Khmer New Year has a very interesting legend. You will notice that in the picture of the New Year Angel, she comes carrying a jeung bian (golden tray) with the king of the gods' head. The story goes that once there was a very smart boy called Dhomabal Khumar, born to a very wealthy family. Dhomabal was exceptional in that he spoke four languages including the language of the birds and read at 7 years of age the ancient texts and canonical scriptures that monks study
He was clever but he was more than that. He was very kind so the village people loved him. Because he loves to speak to the birds, his father built him a beautiful temple close to the river where the birds lived. There Dhomabal would speak to the birds. But then, the king of the gods, KabilMohaProm, became jealous of Dhomabal and issued a challenge. He told Dhomabal that if he could not answer the questions he posed to him, he would cut his head off. But, if he could answer it, KabilMohaProm will cut off his own head. The questions:Where do you find happiness in the morning? in the Noontime? And, in the evening?

As Dhomabal did not know the answer, he run away to the forest. Fearing for his life, he slumped into a tree where two eagles were perched in a conversation. Dhomabal heard them talking about the question on happiness to which they gave the answer. So Dhomabal learned the answers: in the morning, you find happiness in your face; midday, you find it in your body, and at night, your feet. Dhomabal went to the king of the gods and gave him the answer. Because it was correct, the king of the gods had his own head cut off. He then told his eldest daughter to put his head in a jeung pian and carrying this golden tray circle around the Sumeru mountain for 60 minutes and then bring his head to the Khimalay temple in heaven. His head cannot be thrown to the ground as this will cause fire, to the the sky as this will cause drought or to the ocean as this will dry up so the seven daughters have to take turns carrying the head. From then on, as the king of the gods cannot anymore bless his people at the start of the new year, he sent his seven daughters as his angels to bless his Khmer people. So, for the Khmer, to get the blessing for the new year, they follow the ritual of washing their face in the morning, their body in midday and their feet in the evening.

+Classical and Folk Dances

Classical and Folk Dances

Classic Dance - Robam Borane Khmer court dance has been regarded as a female tradition. Women perform the role of king, queen, prince, princess, and demon; expect the roles of monkey, which is played by men. The costumes, headdresses, masks, movements, and gestures identify the characters. Classica

+The Reamker

The Reamker

Stone reliefs on Cambodia's temples from as far back as the 10th century depict scenes from the epic narrative of Indian origin, the Ramayana. The literary text of the Khmer adaptation of the Ramayana, the Reamker, dates to the 16th or 17th century. The story is center on Preah Ream, a prince who was exiled to the forest for fourteen years. Following many adventures, including the abduction of his wife Neang Seda by the evil giant Krong Reap, and her eventual rescue with the help of an army of monkeys guided by Hanuman, Preah Ream returns home in triumph and claims his throne. Though the general storyline of the Ramayana was conserved in Cambodia, the Khmer text contains episodes and innovations unique to Cambodian and other Southeast Asian cultures. An example of a story that does not appear in Indian texts and performance is that of the encounter between Hanuman, the monkey general, and Neang Suwannamachha, the mermaid, a favorite of Cambodian audiences. In the Reamker, issues of trust, loyalty, love, and revenge are played out in dramatic encounters between princes and giants, monkeys and mermaids, and a forlorn princess. Indeed, though it is understood that Preah Ream is an incarnation of the Hindu god Vishnu, his characteristics and those of the others in the story are interpreted in Cambodia as those of mere mortals, not of the gods as is the case in India. The complex interplay of strengths (bravery, foresight) and weaknesses (distrust, trickery) - though couched in episodes lined with magic - nonetheless represents aspects of decidedly human social behavior. The Reamker serves as an inspiration for various genres of performance in Cambodia. Classical dance-drama, all male masked dance-drama, and shadow puppet plays all include episodes in their repertoire. The Reamker is traditionally the only story performed by all-male masked dance-drama and large shadow puppet plays troupes. GOD AND GODDESS: ·         Agni: god of fire ·         Chandra: god of the moon ·         Lakshmi: goddess of prosperity, incarnates as Neang Seda ·         Manimekhalla: lightning goddess ·         Preah Adity: god of the sun ·         Preah Indr: god of storms, elements, lord of celestial musicians and dancers ·         Preah Isur: god of destruction and reincarnation ·         Preah Nearay: god of life and preservation, incarnates as Preah Ream ·         Preah Peay: god of wind; breath, and energy ·         Preah Taprohm: god of creation ·         Prithivi: goddess of the earth ·         Ramesur: god of thunder ·         Varuna: god of the sea ·         Virupakkh: god of wealth KINGDOM: ·         Aiyudhya: capital city of Dasharath's kingdom ·         Khatkhin: monkey kingdom ·         Langka: ogre kingdom ·         Mithila: kingdom ruled by Janak ·         Khrut: sun bird; king of the birds; vehicle de Vishnu ·         Dandakarany: forest of Preah Ream's exile CHARACTERS: ·         Ahalya: wife de Gautama; mother of Anjanadebi, Bali and Sugrib ·         Angkut: son of Bali and Neang Debi Tara; adopted son of Sugrib ·         Anjanadebi: daughter of Gautama and Ahalya; mother of Hanuman ·         Asurapada: son of Hanuman and Neang Ponhakay ·         Bali: son of Ahalya and Preah Indr; twin half-brother of Sugrib; father of Angkut ·         Dasarath: husband of Neang Kosakalya, Neang Kaikesi and Neang Sramud; father of Preah Ream, Preah Bhirut, Preah Leak and Preah Sutrut ·         Enthachi: son of Krong Reap and Neang Mondokiri ·         Gautama: husband of Ahalya; father of Anjanadebi ·         Hanuman: son of Anjanadebi and Preah Peay ·         Jupaleak: son of Preah Ream and Neang Seda; twin brother of Ramleak ·         Kaikasi: mother of Krong Reap, Kumbhakar, Pipek, and Surapanakha; wife of Vishrava ·         Krong Reap: husband of Neang Mondokiri; father of Enthachi ·         Kumbakhar: younger brother of Krong Reap; older brother of Surapanakha and Pipek ·         Machhanu: son of Hanuman and Neang Suwannamachha ·         Neang Debi Tara: wife de Sugrib; mother of Angkut fathered by Bali ·         Neang Kaikesi: second wife of Dasarath; mother of Preah Bhirut ·         Neang Kosakalya: first wife of Dasharath; mother de Preah Ream ·         Neang Mondokiri: wife of Krong Reap; mother of Enthachi ·         Neang Ponhakay: daughter of Pipek; mother of Asurapada fathered by Hanuman ·         Neang Seda: wife de Preah Ream; mother of Ramleak and Jupaleak ·         Neang Sramud: wife of Dasharath; mother of Preah Leak and Preah Sutrut ·         Neang Suwannamachha: daugther of Krong Reap; mother of Machhanu ·         Pipek: younger brother of Krong Reap, Kumbhakar and Surapanakha; father of Neang Ponhakay; ally of Preah Ream ·         Preah Adity: father of Sugrib ·         Preah Bhirut: son of Dasharath and Neang Kaikesi; younger half-brother of Preah Ream; older half-brother of Preah Leak and Preah Sutrut ·         Preah Indr: father of Bali ·         Preah Leak: son of Dasharath and Neang Sramud; younger half-brother of Preah Ream and Preah Bhirut; older twin brother of Preah Sutrut ·         Preah Peay: father of Hanuman ·         Preah Ream: oldest son of Dasharath and Neang Kosakalya; husband of Neang Seda; father of Ramleak and Jupaleak ·         Preah Sutrut: youngest son of Dasharath and Neang Sramud; younger half-brother of Preah Ream and Preah Bhirut; younger twin brother of Preah Leak ·         Ramleak: son of Preah Ream and Neang Seda; twin brother of Jupaleak ·         Shamba: son of Surapanakha and Vidyutjihva ·         Sugrib: son of Ayalya and Preah Adity; half-brother of Bali ·         Surapanakha: sister of Krong Reap, Kumbakhar, and Pipek; wife of Vidyutjihva; mother of Shamba ·         Vidyutjihva: husband of Surapanakha ·         Virupakkh: son of Vishrava; older half-brother of Krong Reap ·         Vishrava: father of Virupakkh, Krong Reap, Khumbhakar, Surapanakha, and Pipek

+Apsara Dance

Apsara Dance: Traditional Khmer Dance-Drama and Dance-Drama Performances

No visit to Cambodia is complete without attending at least one traditional Khmer dance performance, often referred to as 'Apsara Dance' after one of the most popular Classical dance pieces. Traditional Khmer dance is better described as 'dance-drama' in that the dances are not merely dance but are also meant

+Khmer Dance

Khmer Dance

Classical Dance of Cambodia The epic poem of Rama (Ramayana) is believed to have been revealed to a Hindu holy man named Valmiki by Brahma, the god of creation. This religious literary work, dating from about ad 4, is known in various versions throughout India and Southeast Asia. In Cambodia, the story has been set to music and dance and performed by the Royal Ballet since the 18th century. Although the epic is also known in the villages, where it is translated orally or dramatized in the popular shadow puppet theater, the ballet was traditionally a courtly art performed in the palace or for princely festivals. The music of the ballet is performed by the Pinpeat orchestra, which is made up of traditional xylophones, metallophones, horizontal gongs, drums, and cymbals

History Khmer classical dance derived from Indian court dance, which traces its origins to the apsarases of Hindu mythology, heavenly female nymphs who were born to dance for the gods. The traditions of Thailand and Java (in Indonesia) also influenced the music and dance of Cambodia. In classical Cambodian dance, women, dressed in brightly colored costumes with elaborate headdresses, perform slow, graceful movements accompanied by a percussive ensemble known as the pinpeat. Pinpeat orchestras include drums, gongs, and bamboo xylophones. In Cambodia's villages, plays performed by actors wearing masks are popular. Shadow plays, performed using black leather puppets that enact scenes from the Reamkern, are also enjoyed. Folk dancing is popular in rural Cambodia and is performed