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Having spent many years in the provinces I'd never witnessed a birthday celebration, last week the child of our neighbors was having a birthday, seeing a birthday cake and Khmers attempting to sing "Happy birthday to you " was cringe worthy.
Most adults didn't liked to eat the cake or even try it.
While the birthday person and everyone else were having a wonderful time celebrating I was looking on with mixed feeling of another bit of western culture being taken up, and this now being the start of many more birthday parties, except for the one's who cannot afford ( and this now another disappointing day for those kids from poorer families).
Maybe I'm just a spoil sport but I also enjoy being in the province at xmas as it's just another day nobody knows about it. That's what living within another culture makes Cambodia special for me.

Birthdays... ahhh, reminds me of my landlord and his wife. Asked about their birthdays, they need to check their ID first. Their 2 sons tell me it's because their birth records were destroyed during Cambodia's years of turmoil and their current dates of birth are official but fictitious. Also, if the request is adequately compensated with $ i was told that a birth date can be adjusted to an auspicious or "lucky" day. Strange and I'm sure illegal by convention anywhere on this planet. Dates of birth are unambiguous nominal data. The ability to change it or have a fake one on official records such as national identification and passports is every criminal's/fugitive's wet dream.

As for birthday gifts here, I keep things simple by giving an "ang pao" or a red packet. Either that or a mobile phone. Never fails to disappoint.

There’s a (very close by) Khmer family in our village that celebrates “happy birthdays” one time they had (what I assume was) a CD of Happy Birthday being sung in what seemed like every possible pitch and tempo (not all in one rendition, but in hundreds of variations of that single song)
They played it non stop, at high volume, for the entire duration of the party (several hours) I was nearly demented from hearing it.
Wedding music is no problem at all compared to that experience.
I don’t know if the CD was lost or disposed of afterwards as it was a one time event (thankfully/hopefully )

Chad Sexington wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 8:14 am There’s a (very close by) Khmer family in our village that celebrates “happy birthdays” one time they had (what I assume was) a CD of Happy Birthday being sung in what seemed like every possible pitch and tempo (not all in one rendition, but in hundreds of variations of that single song)
They played it non stop, at high volume, for the entire duration of the party (several hours) I was nearly demented from hearing it.
Wedding music is no problem at all compared to that experience.
I don’t know if the CD was lost or disposed of afterwards as it was a one time event (thankfully/hopefully )

A solution, for next time.

I have seen and attended many a Khmer birthday party here, they do like the happy birthday song played very loud and join in the sing song. It was only the other day a family's youngster at the apartment block I live had all the neighboring kids round to join the celebrations, all with party hats too.
Some years back I ended up with a bar full of Khmer friends who had come to help me celebrate that of my own birthday, and too be honest I don't usually bother too much. It was a bit of a surprise, and my bar was full of very jolly people having a good time, including myself. The bar was open and free drinks, but most had bought along their own whisky (Johny Water) has one of my Khmer friend's calls it. My partner had cooked some food, and others had brought some with them, also the older friends had bought me gifts and a large birthday cake. With the candles lit upon the cake, happy birthday was sung in English by all (loudly), then I was helped to blow out the flames by two neighbour's, young ladies from the massage shop, standing on each side of me. Then they took a large dollop of cake in their hands and proceeded to wipe it in my face! I said "what the fock are you doing" what a lovely cake and they put it on my face, all went quite until I smiled, I did not know it was a tradition of a way of what they did.

AndyKK wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 12:52 pm I have seen and attended many a Khmer birthday party here, they do like the happy birthday song played very loud and join in the sing song. It was only the other day a family's youngster at the apartment block I live had all the neighboring kids round to join the celebrations, all with party hats too.
Some years back I ended up with a bar full of Khmer friends who had come to help me celebrate that of my own birthday, and too be honest I don't usually bother too much. It was a bit of a surprise, and my bar was full of very jolly people having a good time, including myself. The bar was open and free drinks, but most had bought along their own whisky (Johny Water) has one of my Khmer friend's calls it. My partner had cooked some food, and others had brought some with them, also the older friends had bought me gifts and a large birthday cake. With the candles lit upon the cake, happy birthday was sung in English by all (loudly), then I was helped to blow out the flames by two neighbour's, young ladies from the massage shop, standing on each side of me. Then they took a large dollop of cake in their hands and proceeded to wipe it in my face! I said "what the fock are you doing" what a lovely cake and they put it on my face, all went quite until I smiled, I did not know it was a tradition of a way of what they did.

city folk watching to much tv or youtube.

duran wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 5:02 amDates of birth are unambiguous nominal data.

Nominal data?

If you've never witnessed a birthday party in the province how did you manage to photograph one?

atst wrote: ↑Sat Sep 04, 2021 3:34 am Having spent many years in the provinces I'd never witnessed a birthday celebration, last week the child of our neighbors was having a birthday, seeing a birthday cake and Khmers attempting to sing "Happy birthday to you " was cringe worthy.
Most adults didn't liked to eat the cake or even try it.
While the birthday person and everyone else were having a wonderful time celebrating I was looking on with mixed feeling of another bit of western culture being taken up, and this now being the start of many more birthday parties, except for the one's who cannot afford ( and this now another disappointing day for those kids from poorer families).
Maybe I'm just a spoil sport but I also enjoy being in the province at xmas as it's just another day nobody knows about it. That's what living within another culture makes Cambodia special for me.

Good householder,
celebrating birthday is even not a western cultrue but simply a modern (if not seeing this as same). Celebrating even ones own is highly strange. As for culture, birth is actually the cause of suffering.
If one would remember his birthday means to remember the goodness, formost of ones parents and others having given the conditions for ones desire of becoming. If venerating ones "Brahmas" and pay gratitude, such would be a good spend reflection.

As for celebrating another ones birth, usually only Kings, leaders, ones teacher, people of great Guṇa (Goddness) are regarded of worthy to celebrate there becoming.
Usually only members of the Kings family, leader or high regarded monks are celebrated. Yet time changes with import of rather strange views, of course.

One might have observed that people usually not even know their exact day of birth and parents as well usually known, if good, just the year (zodiac). That changed just the last 10, 20 years, since such as registrations got usually.

Another thing, not to forget, is that birth from a right view starts with consciousness. That being the reason people are usually a year older as common counting. And this being also the reason why dates of birth, taking another life, aren't that clear.

Maybe those infos sheed some light of not only cultural but more wise aspects on the topic.

May nobody misses out to recognize goodness of others at first place, opening ways to ones desires.

I don't tend to celebrate my own birthday, it's now well into the stage of another year added to my age. My partner, Khmer, said to me once she didn't know her birthday and previous years has never celebrated that day. I did tell her at the time to let me know at anytime if she did want to celebrate one day, just let me know. But up to now she has never bothered, but the question arose once more the other day, I asked her for her ID card, used google eye too translate. It turned out we share the same birthday, what are the chances of that.
A Khmer lady friend came over to wish me happy birthday, and I was delighted to tell her it was also her friends birthday too.
Now it's a better day with a double celebration, and the share of birthday cake that our Khmer friend bought to celebrate the occasion.