 Khmer people celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay festival |
Chol Chnam Thmay is a New Year festival of the Khmer ethnic people according to their traditional calendar. The festival takes place in the middle of solar April, featuring multiple rites, ceremonies and folk games. This year, the festival is held from Friday to Sunday.
For the Chol Chnam Thmay celebration, the Khmer buy beautiful clothing, repair and clean their houses, and prepare offerings, fruits, and food. The most important ceremony of the festival is the Maha Sangkran procession which is held at a selected time.
Everyone takes a bath, dresses in beautiful clothes, and brings offerings to the pagoda. The offerings are placed on a gold-plated tray and carried in a procession around the main temple in three rounds to welcome the New Year. After that, everyone enters the temple and prays for peace and happiness.
 During the Chol Chnam Thmay festival, the Khmer visit the pagoda to pray for peace and happiness |
Ms. Thi Chi in Phu My commune, Kien Giang province, said: "Due to the pandemic in previous years, our family could not attend the New Year festival together. Now, everything is normal now and the festival is more exciting."
During the Chol Chnam Thmay festival, Khmer hamlets are bustling with art and singing performances as well as boat races, volleyball games, and sticky rice cake wrapping or fruit tray decorating competitions.
On this occasion, leaders of localities visit and greet monks and nuns and local disadvantaged people.
Ly Rotha, Head of the Committee for Ethnic Affairs of Soc Trang province, said: "On the occasion of the traditional festival of the Khmer, leaders of Soc Trang province often visit Khmer dignitaries and officials and organize a meeting of Khmer people to share experience in production and education of children."
This year’s Chol Chnam Thmay festival takes place right after the harvest of a bumper winter-spring crop. Thanks to the care of the Party and State, the Khmer people’s living conditions have improved remarkably over the years.