Coping Changes during Cambodian New Year

Coping changes during Cambodian New Year is a vital mechanism people need to practice. Have you heard about Cambodian New Year? Maybe not. Yes! Cambodia celebrates it’s new year distinctively. This blog is about Cambodian New Year history and the things people enjoy during this time of the year. Cambodia is facing sudden changes right now and this blog ends with tips on how to cope with those changes. Let’s get started.

History: Credits to https://ethnomed.org/resource/khmer-new-year/

Khmer New Year is the greatest traditional festival, and also the greatest national holiday. The New Year is usually celebrated for three to four days. This begins on 13th or 14th of April, depending on the “MohaSangkran,” which is the ancient horoscope. This celebration originally began on the first day of the first month in the lunar calendar, which is in November or the beginning of December. In the Angkor Era, the 13th Century, the Khmer King, changed the New Year to the fifth month of the lunar calendar which is April by the solar calendar. Majority of the Khmer people are farmers, and they get busiest from November through Marh to harvest their crops. Khmer peope find April to be perfect to celebrate the New Year. It is the time of the year when they just finished the hard work of harvesting crops, and the time when there is no rain.

Usually, Khmer New Year is celebrated for three days:

The first day of New Year is called Moha Sangkran. It is the inauguration of the New Angels who come to take care of the world for a year period. The leader of Angels is named “KimiteaTevi. People need to clean and decorate the house and also prepare fruits and drinks for the New Year’s inauguration. This is also done to welcome the New Angels at every single home.

Elders like to pray the Dharma during the first day. They believe that angels who come to their houses will stay and take care of their family the entire year. In the morning of the first day, people prepare food to offer the monks at the temple to get blessed. It is a great time for children to play traditional games at the temple or any field in their villages. This is because it is only during the New Year time that boys and girls are allowed to play together socially.

The second day Wanabot, which means day of offering gifts to the parents, grandparents and elders. Usually, Khmer People like to share gifts or presents to employees and also donate money or clothes to poor people. In the evening, people go to temples to build mountain of sand. Peopl also ask the monks to give them a blessing of happiness and peace.

The third day “Leung Sakk” . This means the year starts to be counted up from this day. For example, it is when the year of 2000 would change and begin to be 2001. Traditionally, in the morning, people would go to temples to perform the ceremony of the mountain of sand to get blessed. In the evening, to complete the festival, people need to perform the last ceremony, called “Pithi Srang Preah”. This means, giving a special bath or a special shower to Buddha statues, the monks, elders, parents and grandparents. This act is done in order to apologize for any mistake done to them and to gratify them. Everyone has a wonderful time during this ceremony. It is a great opportunity for everyone to have much fun by splashing out water to each other.

Khmer New Year is not just the great traditional festival for Cambodians, this celebration allows Cambodians to build up many unforgettable memories.

What do people enjoy during Khmer New Year?

Many expats and locals alike enjoy this holiday. Everyone is off from work and that gives people a chance to travel to nearby provinces for some relaxation and exploration. Others will even use this time to visit their home countries, or invite their families to come to Cambodia and enjoy this season. However, due to the covid19 pandemic situation, all these fun activities people used to enjoy have changed. If you are having a hard time facing all these changes, the “Coping Sudden Changes Tips” are found at the end of this blog.

Where do expats go during Khmer New Year?

coping changes during cambodian new year — **Bamboo Island**

The most famous place that expats visit during this time is the Sihanoukville city. “Kampong Som” is a perfect get away for may expats as island hopping can be such a wonderful experience. There are many exceptional islands that can be explored in Sihanoukville and what makes them all excellent is that all those are pretty affordable. Some of the islands found there are:

First four Islands mentioned are pretty much the most famous, and also the Islands that I have explored. Those islands are definitely “must see” if ever you decide to venture Asia. This annual celebration is also great for businesses especially for hotels and F and B companies. All hotels, guest houses, restaurants and even transportation during Khmer New year get fully booked despite high peak season rates. People don’t mind paying more than double the normal price of everything during this time. Everyone wants to feel the wave at the beach, enjoy the relaxing sunset view while enjoying the scent of that salty water. It is the best time of the year to have fun under the sun, along the big waves, in a fine sand plus some sips of your mocktails or cocktails. Picture perfect of holiday! I love Cambodia.

The big question right now is, “how has the Khmer New Year celebration been since covid19 pandemic? This is another story.

Since April 2020, people in Cambodia have not celebrated the new year the way they used to be. Last year, most people were still able to enjoy this celebration with family and limited friends together, and were still mobile to go and visit places. Unlike this year,2021, the country has been put into locked down order. No one is allowed to travel anywhere unless for emergencies and officials pre approved errands. This is a response to the ongoing Covid19 safety measures protocols that the leaders have announced.

There is no doubt we all are now very aware of the words locked down, quarantine and curfew. These words are having negative connotations. People react negatively about it because many think that these are too harsh. Yes, people are given limitations to do some of the things they used to do freely, however we also tend to forget the wonderful effect these words give us all.

Think about the time you spent with your family in the last five years? Isn’t it that these locked down situations are giving us a chance to be at home with our family and loved ones? These situations are giving us a chance to plan for the best meal we can cook for dinner? That these situations give us time to see and observe carefully how our children are doing, and in what areas they need more support or guidance? Let’s not forget that these situations also are giving us a chance to assess ourselves how we are at this very moment? What goals have we achieved and what not yet? How healthy are we and what can we do to improve our well- being? When was the last time we have asked our parents how they are?

There are tons of things that have been going on lately in our lives. We have been staying closely to our families and for some people this can be healthy and for others maybe not. But hey, it’s all about how we see things and how we react about it. I am not a guru about life, but as how this journey4us is all about I would love to share what I think is helpful and inspiring to at least one or two of you reading this, and this leads to, “Coping with Sudden Changes Tips”

Change is Inevitable– Having known this 3 word phrase is the beginning of a healthy coping mechanism. Since the day we were all born, we have been experiencing changes. That is unquestionable. So, grab your notepad and write this down, and place that note to a place where you can see it everyday. Yes, everyday.
Accept the Change you Can’t Change– Yes, focus on the things you can control, your to-do list, meal plans, your goals. We sometimes are faced to situations where our hands are tied, and to dwell about it will just make things worse. Accept the changes and get ready for the next tip.
Make a Specific Plan– Creating a list of things you want to do and the goals you want to achieve is a healthy activity you can start doing after facing sudden changes. Setting some goals will help you feel that you’re in control of your life once again and that will catapult you to have a better perception about life and yourself again. Do you want to focus on self-care or your business during this time? Whatever it is , be specific and add an actual time on it, e.g; jumping rope for 30 minutes everyday, blogging twice a week, reading 5 chapters a day, eating dinner not later than 7pm.
Keep a Healthy Lifestyle– Sounds easy yet many of us definitely find this a bit of a challenge. Making a specific plan on how to keep a healthy lifestyle will make this tip doable. It’s not rocket science and we all know how important this tip is. From the food we eat, the number of hours we give ourselves to sleep and the daily exercise we indulge ourselves in. Start your healthy lifestyle plan now. Do not wait.
Focus on Gratitude– A simple but effective way of putting your situation into perspective is to focus on gratitude. What are you most thankful for? What is going really well in your life right now? What do you appreciate? Start off each day with writing down three things that you are grateful for, they can be anything at all from your health and your family to that vital cup of coffee in the morning. Focusing on the positive is a very healthy mindset to try and nurture. Has this sudden change made you and loved ones closer? Has it made you start practicing healthier habits? Has it made you become more assertive, grateful or courageous? Maybe it has helped you prioritise what is important in your life. It is very easy to focus on the negative, but change always presents us with the opportunity to grow so it’s important to acknowledge how things have gotten better as a result of it.