Samouth wrote:Look like we talked a lot about Khmer New Year lately and many people like to talk about it. However Chinese New Year has just passed not so long ago. Out of curiosity, what do you guys know about Chinese New Year in Cambodia?

Well, funny you should say that because this is the first year that I noticed most Sino-Khmer aren't much interested in Khmer New Year. All my students (Sino-Khmer) took at least a week off for CNY, but only 3 days for KNY. In fact when KNY came round and I was asking them what they were all going to do, I noticed a meh... kind of attitude. Not so when I asked them about CNY. A bit similar as if you ask a Vietnamese Buddhist in HCMC whether they have seen the amazing Christmas lights yet. Of course, they get to see the same lights a few weeks later during TET, so I expect that helps them to quell the urge to have a peek.

So go on, tell us then; What do you do to celebrate Chinese New Year in your family?

Anchor Moy wrote:This is how we celebrated Chinese NY with some friends and their family.

can i come to the next one you have some hot friends
ps. that kid is adorable! i would buy one of those little chinese dresses for some of my godsons or nephews.... but they are obviously boys darn it

Jamie_Lambo wrote:i would buy one of those little chinese dresses for some of my godsons or nephews.... but they are obviously boys darn it

I heard that dresses are ok for boys these days. (But that was on another thread.)

Back on topic, Chinese NY is huge in SV and PP, and despite the fact that it's not a holiday, a lot of people take time off work. And the guys doing the lion dances spend a lot of time training; it doesn't just happen, so I suppose it's important to them.
This was someone was getting their house blessed in PP during CNY a few years ago:

Jamie_Lambo wrote:

Anchor Moy wrote:This is how we celebrated Chinese NY with some friends and their family.

can i come to the next one you have some hot friends
ps. that kid is adorable! i would buy one of those little chinese dresses for some of my godsons or nephews.... but they are obviously boys darn it

They have little jackets for the boys too. No idea where to find them in S-ville.

Sent from my SAPPHIRE Z550 using Tapatalk

Thanks for all the comments.

Here is mine.

How Chinese-Cambodian celebrate Chinese New Year

Let’s forget how Chinese existed in Cambodia, I assumed you guys all know about this.
Despite the corrupted government, Cambodia in general is a great country, people is friendly and more tolerance. The practices of different cultures and other rituals have never been a problem. Many Cambodians are really fine with it. That’s why you could see a lot of celebrations such as Chinese-Vietnamese New Year celebration.

At my home, Chinese New Year celebration is always a really important celebration. We really take it seriously while we don’t really take Khmer New Year seriously, however we do also celebrate Khmer New Years. As it is really important for us, we need to come together to celebrate it. It doesn’t really matter if I don’t go home during Khmer New Year, but I really have to go home during Chinese New Year. I remembered there was one time when I studied at the primary school. It was on the first day of Chinese New Year and my teacher didn’t give me the permission to have a day off from school, guess what my grandmother came to school and asked for permission for me. Therefore, I could join my family in celebrating it.

Here is what it looks like before and during Chinese New Year
Normally at my home, one week before the New Year, we start cleaning our house and repainting it and made sure it looks new. We washed our mosquito net, our matter sheet, pillow sheets and blankets. Also we do some decorations.
One day before the New Year, we will have foods offering at home. We will cook a lot of foods. The food offering will be done twice on that day. One in the afternoon and another one in the evening, the one we do in the afternoon is for our passing ancestors who we believe that will come that day to eat the food that we offer them. At the end of the offering, we will burn some papers clothes, fake money, and other stuff as we believe that this stuff will reach our ancestor and they can use them. The interesting about the after offering is that during cooking we cannot taste the foods as they have to be pure and no one allow to taste or eat before the offering. After the offering which will take about 30 minutes, then we will eat together.

Here are some pictures of the foods that I took this year







The evening offering is called charity offering. It is actually for those who already passed but they don’t have any relatives who do the offering for them. They are the homeless ghosts, I would say. So they can come to eat the foods that we offer for them. However, for the evening offering, the foods don’t have to be pure. We can use the foods that left over from the morning. Normally during this time we will cook a lot of food in bigger amount. So for the evening offering, we will put them all. Also, we can’t do the offering inside the house as we believe that those ghosts will not dare to come into our house. So it has to be done outside of the house on the ground or pavement floor. After we finish the offering, we will eat together again.

Here are some pictures of the evening offering





These are the two most important foods, we have to cook them. They can’t be missing.





When it comes to the first day of the New Year, we will get up early and take shower and dress up nicely. Then, older people and those who earn money will give red packages to Children and those earning children will have to give their parent red packages. I don’t get red packages anymore as I now could earn money. I am now the one who give the red package. We believe that by doing this will give us good luck and it is kinda gratitude activities. By the way, for the first day of the New Year, we can go to any places; we need to stay at home. Normally, we will stay at home and have food together and later just play card for fun. We believe that the first day of New Year is not a good day to travel as you are bound to have accident or other thing that could harm your life. My grandmother is really seriously about it. She will not allow any of us go anywhere on the first day of the New Year. We can travel or go visit places on the second and third day of the New Year. BTW, during the three days of New Year, we will not allow to brush our house. We have to wait until the fourth day and also we will have to close the well for three days as well. No one is allowed to get the water from the well. We believe that we have been using the well for the rest of the year and it is time for it to have a rest.

That’s pretty what I can remember. Please put more if you heard anything about Chinese New Year in Cambodia for other Chinese Cambodia or any Cambodian who are knowledgeable about it.

Honest question, if you celebrate Chinese New Year more than Khmer new year does that make you, what did you call them, "pure Cambodian"

kiwiincambodia wrote:Honest question, if you celebrate Chinese New Year more than Khmer new year does that make you, what did you call them, "pure Cambodian"

#honest answer, as i have mentioned a few times here that i am Chinese-Cambodian. This can't be changed. I am technically Cambodian, because i was born here. I speak, read and write the language. However, i would always consider myself as Chinese-Cambodian. There is nothing can do to make me pure Cambodian, because my appearance doesn't look like pure Cambodian. We have never met and of course, you have no idea how i look like. I do have smaller eyes compare to many Cambodian.

I know that it is really harsh for you guys to talk about the division. There should be no division between Cambodian. Everyone should consider themselves as Cambodian. However, i personally don't think that there is anything wrong for one to acknowledge his or her root. My great grand father came all the way from China, so there is nothing wrong for me to claim that i am half Chinese. Also in Cambodia society is really different from the western world. It is never a big deal to talk about race. It is also never considered as racism. If you call pure Cambodian as Khmer Sot, i guess she or he is not going to be up in arms with you calling them that, because we don't consider it as racism. The way that Chinese existed in Cambodia is completely different from how black people existed in America or Europeans countries.

Thanks for the honest answer Samouth.

As you said it is hard for westerners to agree with such a division as we have been taught since we are young that it is wrong to have such a division and morally wrong to think as much.

Let put it this way, everything is about the culture different. I know why it is so serious about division in where you are from. In the Western world you have gone a lot of stuff about race. Like, black people were brought to the Western countries and America for slavery. They were treated bad and didn't have much right and freedom. Westerners came to a foreign countries, killed the people and took over the countries, but Chinese people didn't do that when they came to Cambodia. So there is no hatred between us. That's why Cambodian is cool with one saying she or he is Chinese-Cambodian.

Cambodia and the Chinese Connection - article for you Samouth:

According to Luo Yang, an associate professor at the Chinese Institute of Overseas Chinese History Studies in Beijing, Cambodia is the third most populous country in Southeast Asia for Chinese nationals and Chinese descendants...

http://www.khmertimeskh.com/news/24380/ ... onnection/