Culture – Page 2 – Welcome to Cambodia, and…..

Gung hei fat choi!

Today is new year’s eve for the lunar new year and it is a BIG day for the families that celebrate it. Like Americans needing to be home for Thanksgiving, everyone MUST be home for the reunion dinner on new year’s eve. 100+ million Chinese people have been traveling the last couple days to make it home today.

But for those in Phnom Penh who did not need to travel, it was a day for putting out offerings for the spirits of the ancestors.

This machine shop set out a large array of fruits and drinks and bread.

This business’ arrangement wasn’t quite as large but was done with real care.

Here two shops, side-by-side, put out offerings on chairs set on the edge of the street.

Amid all the offerings from family shops, this family just put out a small arrangement with fruit and candles.

Lunar New Year #5

The apartment complex, where a donor is letting me live free so the money I was paying for rent in another place can go to the deaf program, is also getting into the new year spirit with big displays of chrysanthemums. In Asia, the Lunar/Chinese New Year is like Christmas–you don’t have to be Christian or believe in Santa Claus to celebrate the holiday.

Lunar New Year #4

This Vietnamese restaurant created some distinctive, non-traditional lunar new year decorations to adorn a tree at their establishment. The lunar new year, aka Chinese New Year for many people, is called Tet in Vietnam.

Lunar New Year #3

A really essential part of the lunar new year is the chrysanthemums. Here a neighborhood group of ladies went together to buys some flowers and set up shop in an empty lot near the deaf office.

Lunar New Year #2

Lunar New Year #1

The Lunar New Year is January 29th, still a week and half away, but the preparations are in full swing even though it is not a holiday here. Many, many Cambodians claim some bit of Chinese ancestry, deservedly or not, and the Year of the Rat will be widely celebrated here.

Opening of Jubilee Year

Involving the church youth

After the prayerful opening of the Jubilee Year, Bishop Olivier turned his attention to performances by youth of all ages.

First the older girls presented a classic Khmer dance.

Then younger girls performed another traditional dance with a simpler choreography.

Then about 25 boys, in two groups, presented a classical Khmer myth. All the dancers had really professional dance outfits and costumes.

Lastly, the really young children, some just toddlers, performed more contemporary Christmas music with simple dancing and gestures, and then each received a stuffed animal Christmas gift. Bishop Olivier always insures that cakes are a major part of the celebrations.

Following all the performances, all the representatives from all the parishes enjoyed a catered Chinese dinner in the outside dining area.