khmer-culture-traditions

Have questions or resources regarding Khmer Culture? This forum is all about the Kingdom of Cambodia's culture. Khmer language, Cambodian weddings, French influence, Cambodian architecture, Cambodian politics, Khmer customs, etc? This is the place. Living in Cambodia can cause you to experience a whole new level of culture shock, so feel free to talk about all things related to the Khmer people, and their traditions. And if you want something in Khmer script translated into English, you will probably find what you need.
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StroppyChops
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by StroppyChops »

Thanks for the input Kiwi, prahkeitouj.
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John Bingham
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by John Bingham »

juansweetpotato wrote:
Death is not viewed with the great outpouring of grief common to Western society; it is viewed as the end of one life and as the beginning of another life that one hopes will be better.
Obviously written by someone who has never been to a funeral here, and imagines that people's humanity is completely subjugated by their religious beliefs. Funerals here are no more or less mournful than any I've seen in the west.

juansweetpotato wrote:
A woman who dies in childbirth—crosses the river (chhlong tonle) in Khmer is believed to become an evil spirit.
That's a huge over-simplification. The preta, or lingering ghost, is a suffering being who roams the margins of the world. They are believed to have become this way through dying in a terrible way, or questionable moral behavior. This preta has both benign and malign aspects. A good paper on the topic here: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... yA&cad=rja
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by Samouth »

I am with little salary. If you are invited to join engagement party you are not expected to give them envelop with money or any other gifts, because by joining them you are helping them a lot. They need people to accompany and witness their engagement. Moreover, not everyone will be invited, only close friends and older people in the village and relative of bride and groom.
បើសិនធ្វើចេះ ចេះឲ្យគេកោត បើសិនធ្វើឆោត ឆោតឲ្យគេអាណិត។

If you know a lot, know enough to make them respect you, if you are stupid, be stupid enough so they can pity you.
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juansweetpotato
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by juansweetpotato »

John Bingham wrote:
juansweetpotato wrote:
Death is not viewed with the great outpouring of grief common to Western society; it is viewed as the end of one life and as the beginning of another life that one hopes will be better.
Obviously written by someone who has never been to a funeral here, and imagines that people's humanity is completely subjugated by their religious beliefs. Funerals here are no more or less mournful than any I've seen in the west.

juansweetpotato wrote:
A woman who dies in childbirth—crosses the river (chhlong tonle) in Khmer is believed to become an evil spirit.
That's a huge over-simplification. The preta, or lingering ghost, is a suffering being who roams the margins of the world. They are believed to have become this way through dying in a terrible way, or questionable moral behavior. This preta has both benign and malign aspects. A good paper on the topic here: https://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j ... yA&cad=rja
Thanks for the reply, that's just the sort of response I was hoping for.. I'm having trouble opening that link? I posted the part article as a taster for the full doc.
AFA the funerals go; My own thoughts are that I think there are differences in the way Buddhist and Protestant Christians deal with death. Would you say that in Ireland the Wake is somewhat akin to the Buddhist approach? I have only been to one Buddhist funeral, and that was 30 years ago in Sri Lanka. I was invited in off the street by a very happy man and given free cigarettes. The deceased looked very smart indeed. He was dressed in a white suit and had huge elephant tusks standing upright on either side of the coffin, crossed over the body. There was a definite party atmosphere which did surprise me, but I remember thinking it was pretty cool compared to the solemn affairs I have been to in England. However, now the idea of having a party does seem a bit weird, but then I don't believe in reincarnation.
"Can you spare some cutter for an old man?"
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juansweetpotato
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by juansweetpotato »

Samouth wrote:I am with little salary. If you are invited to join engagement party you are not expected to give them envelop with money or any other gifts, because by joining them you are helping them a lot. They need people to accompany and witness their engagement. Moreover, not everyone will be invited, only close friends and older people in the village and relative of bride and groom.
I think the discussion between you three has been great. It kinda shows how not everything in culture is definable as in the article I posted. I wonder what an anthropologist would have to say about engagement parties. Personally it seems that you and Pra are talking the way things are for the majority. After all, Cambodia is a poor country. This envelope thing seems to depend on what type of family you come from?
"Can you spare some cutter for an old man?"
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John Bingham
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by John Bingham »

Do a search for "Caring for the Dead Ritually in Cambodia"to get a PDF of that paper, I couldn't figure how to post the link correctly.
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juansweetpotato
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Re: khmer-culture-traditions

Post by juansweetpotato »

John Bingham wrote:Do a search for "Caring for the Dead Ritually in Cambodia"to get a PDF of that paper, I couldn't figure how to post the link correctly.

Ah! got it. Your link was OK it just immediately downloads the PDF and I didn't notice. Thanks.
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