Khmer New Year: Cambodia’s Three Days of Celebration
By: Alyssa Sin
Khmer New Year, or Choul Chnam Thmey, is Cambodia's celebration of the new year, lasting from Apr. 13 to Apr. 15. The three-day celebration marks the end of the harvest season from November to April.
Khmer New Year originates from Brahmanism before Buddhism, which was widely adopted in the region but now most closely follows Buddhist traditions and beliefs. In the Angkor Era, the 13th century, the holiday was changed to follow the Buddhist New Year in April rather than in November or December. After the change, the Khmer New Year now coincides with the conclusion of harvesting and gives farmers time to spend with family.
The celebration begins on Moha Sangkran, the first day of festivities, and families clean the home and decorate it with lights, flowers, fruits, and traditional decor. It is believed that on this day, one of the Seven Angels comes and stays with the family until the next new year. A different angel is designated for each day of the week, and depending on what day Moha Sangkran lands on, another angel will come to visit. Cambodian households prepare a basin with flowers, five incense, five candles, sticks, and food to welcome the angels. Families then pray for happiness and prosperity during the new year. Traditional Khmer (Cambodian) dishes, fruits, and drinks are placed on altars as offerings to the gods. Locals wear new clothes dyed in vibrant colors to represent the new year.
The festival's second day is called “Virak Vanabat,” and Cambodians spend the day visiting family and local Buddhist pagodas. There, they offer their monks gifts of desserts, fruits, and flowers and ask for blessings of peace. Families visit temples to honor their ancestors and build mountains of sand. It is also a common tradition to donate money, food, or clothing to the underprivileged. Activities like Chol Chhoung (passing a ball), Teanh Proat (rope tugging), dancing, and singing traditional Khmer songs are common in communities.
Virak Loeng Sak is the third and last day of Khmer New Year and begins with visiting the temple to perform a ceremony on the mountain of sand. The last ceremony of the new year is called “Pithi Srang Preah,” which is an important spiritual act. Buddha statues are cleansed with fragrant water blessed by monks to wash away sadness, sorrow, and sin. Doing this will bring joy and prosperity. Parents, grandparents, and elders are also washed as a way for young people to apologize for mistakes.
Over the three days, foods like Nom Ansom, Khmer Fish Amok, Kralan, and Ya Hon are eaten. Nom Ansom is a sticky rice dish filled with bananas, pork, or mung beans. Another sticky rice dish is kralan, which is steamed inside bamboo and filled with coconut milk, soybeans, black beans, or peas. Khmer Fish Amok is a steamed fish curry, and Ya Hon is a Cambodian hot pot.
Khmer New Year is a vibrant holiday that reunites families and brings communities together to bring prosperity and joy to the new year. Celebrations are filled with both symbolic and cultural importance, combining Cambodia’s rich history.
