Khmer New Year
on Mary In Cambodia (Cambodia), 16/Apr/2010 09:29, 34 days ago
Khmer New Year.Bonn Choul Chnam.The New Year festival officially lasts for 3 days following the end of the harvest season. Khmers clean and decorate their homes. They place altars in front of their houses for offerings to the coming year’Devoda’. They also visit temples to receive blessings and give offerings. Workers in the towns return to their villages to spend time with their families. Traditional games are played, which are often organised at the temples. It’s traditional to smear faces with soot to celebrate the ending of the old year and with flour for the new one. Kids congregate at street corners with barrels of water and drench passersby.Khmer New Year is celebrated from April 12thto 15ththis year. It coincides with the water festival in Thailand which I think is also the Thai New Year, and is called Songkran, or something that sounds like that! Schools close for two weeks. Two volunteer friends and I decided to take a short holiday in Koh Samet, a little‘paradise’ island in the bay of Thailand, recommended and booked for us by my son Don. The speed boat took us on to the beach in front of our resort, The Samed Villa. It’s a perfect place to‘chill’ out, white sandy beaches, sparkling water, cloudless blue skies and a gentle sea breeze. The resort’s dining area is on the beach surrounded with palm trees. Accommodation consists of individual chalets hidden among tropical greenery.  The highlight for me was a speedboat trip around the island, which included an opportunity to go snorkelling. It was a bit scary, but I decided‘it’s now or never’ and went in. We were wearing life jackets, so we couldn’t sink. The spot was well chosen, there were thousands of fish with amazing colours swimming within inches of us. Unfortunately I haven’t any photos to prove how brave I was! I did feel a bit light-headed when I got back on the boat, but it was worth it. We visited the Thai National fisheries, and learned about the breeding programme for fish nearing extinction. 80% of their young fish are released into the oceans of the world.Most of our time went swimming, having Thai-massages, eating and generally spoiling ourselves. Not at all the kind of life I expected to experience as a volunteer. One could get used to this good life!   All too soon it’s time to leave and return to work, unbearable heat, motor bike, biker’s jacket, helmet and dirt tracks. Guess what—back in Sisophon—it’s started to RAIN. Another new experience, the rainy season is about to begin. Soon the dirt roads will become mud slides. What fun!   Life can be tough out here but never boring. The King’s birthday is coming in May, a 3 or 4 day celebration, time to get the map out again.