Category: Culture

Valentine’s Day in Phnom Penh

Valentine’s Day is another of the western celebrations adopted by Cambodian culture. Often known as “sex day” among Cambodian youth, the government has decried its popularity and even toyed with the idea of introducing a Buddhist celebration to compete with Valentine’s Day.
Coming home after early morning mass yesterday, I was surprised to see only these two outlets selling Valentine’s Day-themed merchandise. Usually there are many more, so maybe the government’s disapproval is having an effect. The one place was selling flowers on the curb, and for those who wanted to go over the top with their gift, this shop was selling any size teddy bear that would suit your fancy.

Where is the risk-management team?

I went to a DDP graduation today, held at a Christian church near the Chinese Embassy. Especially because it is a church, even though we were using it for totally secular purposes, Khmers would never wear shoes inside. Instead they leave them at the door–literally. In the United States the liability lawyers would go crazy at the hazard the shoes create for an organization, but here it’s just part of life. What else are you going to do with your shoes?

Lunar New Year 6

After you clean the house and buy new clothes and get your haircut; after you burn the incense and paper offerings; then it’s time to put out the food and drink offerings to really make the spirits happy.

Almost every shop has some sort of offerings on display…
A safety equipment store.
An Internet shop…but why do they have three offering tables?
Offerings outside a restaurant.
At a used car parts shop.
At a beauty salon.
Some shops put out really elaborate offerings. (I’ve noticed that the spirits really like beer. Or at least the people who put out the offerings think they do.)
This beauty salon has a rather humble offering.
This private house has a rather generous offering.
While this house’s offering is much more subdued.
This man goes all out at his house, making sure the spirits are pleased.

The End

Lunar New Year 5

There are always last-minutes purchases and preparations and many people were out on new year’s eve making everything ready.

One more decoration for the home or maybe a trinket for the kids….
These men finally found a traditional peach-blossom tree to put in the house.
This man opts for a few more fresh flowers….
This woman is selling the white jasmine blossoms on a stick or the small jasmine garlands which are important new year’s decoration.
And these people are getting the truck ready to head out to the province and leave the city hoopla behind.

Lunar New Year 4

Much of the world may be turning away from meat for health and environmental reasons, but for many developing countries eating meat is a sign of success, an indicator that the family is no longer too poor. And that is especially true at the Lunar New Year when roast pig is an almost essential item.

The proper day to buy the roast pig is the morning of the reunion dinner so all the farmers bring their offerings to town early in the day. There are big pigs and little pigs, a size to fit each family.
This man considers the roast pigs on offer on the street. If a whole pig is too much, there are slabs of roast pork in the cart on the right.
If roast pig doesn’t seem right this year, roast ducks and geese are available at this shop.
This woman’s streetside shop offers more roast ducks and some small pigs.

Lunar New Year 3

Because the lunar year isn’t an actual holiday people won’t take quite as many days off as they will for the Khmer New Year. But they will all celebrate at home and at their work place. Here are some scenes from staff parties at various places of employment before they head home for the new year’s eve reunion dinner, a VERY important occasion.

Lanterns hung at one school.
A family new year’s eve meal in a machine shop.
Another group celebrating in an automobile repair shop.
Staff celebrating the new year at a company office.

Lunar New Year 2

Certain activities have to take place on certain days according to the Lunar New Year calendar. Today was the day for burning offerings for deceased ancestors to provide them with what they need in the afterlife and, more importantly, to keep them happy so they don’t cause problems for the family.

This woman and her daughter got a good fire going.
This man is burning things on a smaller scale and just getting ready to light the match.
This man demonstrates how it’s supposed to be done.
This man cleans the street in front of his house as burns the imitation money and other paper articles for his ancestors.
At this house, the whole family got together to burn their offerings.
This is the man who makes the receptacles for burning offerings but he doesn’t seem to be using any of them for his own ancestors.

Lunar New Year

This coming Saturday is the Lunar New Year celebrated by the chopsticks countries. It’s not an official holiday in Cambodia—but everyone takes off for 3 or 4 days or a week. The stores and shops are already showing off their decorations.

Some commercial establishments take a low-key approach like this cable TV company.
These two hotels add the vertical hangings beside the door and some lanterns.
This electronics store tries to make it a little more festive.

Mindfulness

In Cambodia there are a couple dozen Catholic pre-schools and kindergartens, many established for Vietnamese community children to help them integrate into Cambodian society and culture. There is no system of Catholic schools in the kingdom, though. The Jesuits have started creating a pre-school to university educational setting in rural Banteay Meanchey Province, and as usual, they do a super job with education. These are some of the primary school students at the beginning of the day when they have a period of silent meditation. There probably aren’t many settings in the United States where that could happen.