http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeke ... ds-kingdom

Amazing.

Luigi wrote:http://www.phnompenhpost.com/post-weeke ... ds-kingdom

Amazing.

Chol Mlop is (basicallu) an old tradition where when the daughter has her first period she then gets confined to the house and taught by the mother and aunties how to be a good respectable woman and housewife, it can take around 6 months (sometimes longer) then after they have a celebration and the girl will be more marriage worthy

The Tradition is believed to have come from an old Khmer legend about a Thief...
a thief who had no wife and no children but he had a very nice house in the jungle,
far away from the others, which he used to put away the things that he stole.
When he got older he realised that: "I have a lot of property but I have nobody to inherit them. When I die all my property will be wasted. If I had a wife or children to inherit them, I would not be so worried".

So the thief walked around the village and found a group of children playing under a big mango tree.
He then saw a pretty young girl amongst them. He separated her from the other children and brought her to his house.
He was afraid that she would run back to her parents, so he locked her in a room and gave her food through a very small window.
When she was old enough to get married she became sickly and the thief invited an old lady from the village to attend to his new daughter.

One day, there came a man who had just finished his magic lessons; he met the old lady and asked for her help in finding the perfect girl to marry.
Then the lady told of the beauty of the thief's daughter and advised the young man to walk along the path with watermelons growing alongside.
This was the result of the old woman throwing watermelon seeds to mark her path while she was walking with the thief in order to avoid losing the way.
In the morning, the man went to meet the girl as the lady had told him and the two met and fell in love with each other.
She tried to hide her emotions for the young man because she was afraid of her new father.
However, the thief father observed his daughter's behaviour and recognised that his daughter had fallen in love.
He was very angry with his daughter and so he went away.

The young couple stayed in the house together for a while and did not see the thief come back.
Then they left the house and came to thank the old lady who had told the man about the beautiful girl.
The old lady told the villagers that this girl was so pretty because she had stayed in the shade and when she left the shade she attracted a husband.


heres a song about chol mlop

A rite of passage: Reviving an ancient Khmer ceremony
Soung Sovanny | Publication date 20 May 2019 | 10:20 ICT
The traditional Chol Mlob ceremony celebrating a girl’s coming of age was once the norm in Cambodian culture. While it is no longer widespread, it is experiencing a minor revival today, being practiced among a select few families in a ceremony that has evolved to suit the modern age.

Dy Malen, owner of Paradise Wedding Planners, is one practitioner of the ceremony. This past year she has researched Chol Mlob ceremonies extensively.

“Honestly, I didn’t have much knowledge about Khmer history or culture, but I’m committed to preserve our culture and traditions. I have been reading books and met many people who have knowledge about the girl’s rite of the passage. I learned from the elderly and Buddhist clergyman,” the mother of three says.

“I also have a daughter and I have planned that when she grows up, I’ll definitely prepare a Chol Mlob ceremony for her. I really want to preserve this traditional practice, so it will be passed down from generation to generation.”

Malen founded Paradise Wedding Planners five years ago, with the company starting to provide Chol Mlob packages last year.

Sitting in a hall full of glass wardrobes displaying golden jewellery, shiny shoes, colourful silk, embroidered outfits and traditional carved wares, the 29-year-old told The Post: “It is not that the daughter’s rite of passage is only for rich families. The parents who come to me for the ceremony believe it can help inspire their daughter to become mindful and mature. They think that it is also a way to express that girls have high value. Most importantly, to some families, it is a family tradition that they want to continue doing,” Malen says.

Malen says preserving Khmer culture and tradition are the two components at the core of her wedding planning business, but she adds that Chol Mlob is also evolving to suit modern day lifestyles.

“Today, we don’t plant a banana tree to signify the start of Chol Mlob. We don’t wait until the banana fruit is ripe to celebrate the ending ceremony of Chol Mlob anymore. Now we only hold a one-day celebration in which the daughter will listen to teachings from parents and Buddhist clergyman. Then we do a symbolic ritual called Kourch Proloeng [strengthening the spirit] for the girl, so she will not be fearful in her life,” she says.

Malen says the ceremony is held when girls become teenagers and start their first period. The day begins at the girl’s house, where the parents invite monks and four to six clergymen. The monks will preach and give blessings to the girl, while the clergymen will hold a praying ritual by sitting around a basket of unhusked rice.

“The girl will be asked to sit next to the basket of rice that is dubbed the ‘mother of rice’. After the clergymen and the parents tell the mother of rice about the girl’s rite of passage ceremony, she will be asked to bow to the parents, monks and other relatives who are attending the ceremony. This is just one of a few things. There are many other things to prepare.”
https://www.phnompenhpost.com/lifestyle ... r-ceremony

the old tradition is interesting. the new "modern" advertisement sounds like it's about useless for the girl, a social status type thing, and a way to turn a profit for the business.

Ravensnest wrote: ↑Sat Aug 17, 2019 12:06 am the old tradition is interesting. the new "modern" advertisement sounds like it's about useless for the girl, a social status type thing, and a way to turn a profit for the business.

Yeah, her poor daughter. Wait till she gets married.

Malen founded Paradise Wedding Planners five years ago, with the company starting to provide Chol Mlob packages last year.