The document provides information about Khmer New Year traditions in Cambodia. It discusses that Khmer New Year, which lasts three days, celebrates the traditional lunar new year and coincides with solar new year celebrations in parts of South and Southeast Asia. The three days have specific names and traditions, such as paying respects to ancestors and constructing sand structures. The document also shares legends about the origins of Khmer New Year traditions.

1. University of Cambodia
Lectured by:
Mut Somoeun, M.Ed
KHM 140: Khmer Culture

2. Khmer New Year

3. Khmer New Year
• Cambodian New Year in Khmer, literally means
"Enter New Year", is the name of the Cambodian
holiday that celebrates the traditional Lunar New
Year.
• The holiday lasts for three days beginning on
New Year's Day, which usually falls on April 13th
or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season,
when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before
the rainy season begins.
• The Khmer New Year coincides with the
traditional solar new year in several parts of India,
Nepal, Sri Lanka, Myanmar and Thailand.

4. • Previously, Khmer people celebrated Khmer
New Year in first month of lunar calendar
(Khae Mikase)
• Later on Khmer formally adopted the solar
calendar and held the Khmer New Year
Festival in Khè Chèt (fifth month) that is a free
time from their farming.

5. • The auspicious occasion of the Khmer New
Year is detailed in the astrological almanac and
extends over three days.
• The first day is known as Maha Sangkran or
“Great Almanac Day”, the second day is called
Veara Vanabath or “Worshipping Day”, and the
third day is known as Veara Leung Sak or
“Rank and Promotion Day”.
• Of the three days Veara Leung Sak is
considered the most auspicious.

7. • Maha Sangkran (មហាសង្រ្កា ន្ត), derived from Sanskrit,
the name of the first day of the new year celebration.
• People dress up and light candles and burn incense
sticks at shrines, where the members of each family
pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha's
teachings by bowing, and kneeling themselves three
times before the image.
• For good luck people wash their face with holy water
in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in
the evening before they go to bed.

8. • Vireak Vanabat (វិ រៈវិនន្ត )is the name of the
second day of the new year celebration.
• People contribute charity to the less fortunate
by helping the poor, servants, homeless, and
low-income families.
• Families attend a dedication ceremony to their
ancestors at monasteries.

9. • Vearak Loeng Sak (វាៈវឡ ើងស័ក) or T'ngai Loeng Sak in
Khmer is the name of the third day of the new year
celebration.
• Buddhists wash the Buddha statues and their elders
with perfumed water.
• Bathing the Buddha images is a symbolic practice to
wash bad actions away from household items.
• It is also thought to be a kind deed that will bring
longevity, good luck, happiness and prosperity in life.
• By washing their grandparents and parents, the children
can obtain from them best wishes and good pieces of
advice to live the life for the rest of the year.

10. • In temples, people erect a sand hillock (Puon
Phnom Ksach) on temple grounds. They mound
up a big pointed hill of sand or dome in the center
named Valuka Chaitya, the stupa at Tavatimsa
where the Buddha's hair are buried.
• The big stupa is surrounded by four small ones,
which represent the stupas of the Buddha's
favorite disciples: Sariputta, Moggallana, Ananda,
and Maha Kassapa.
• There is another tradition called Sraung Preah
(ស្សង់ស្រះ): pouring water or liquid plaster (a
mixture of water with some chalk powder) on
elder relative, or people (mostly the younger
generation is responsible for pouring the water).

12. Main Purposes of Puon Phnom
Ksach
• Dedicating to the Cholamony Cheteya in the
Tavatengsa (a stupa of Buddha’s hair)
• To purify and expel all bad evil things/ spirits
to be away from life and family
• To prosper and lengthen life

14. Traditional Popular Games
• Cambodia is home to a variety of games played to
transform the dull days into memorable occasions.
During the KNY, they are traditional games played:
– Chol Chhoung
– Chab Kon Kleng
– Bos Angkunh
– Leak Kanseng, and so on

16. Legend of Khmer New Year
• The legend of the New Year is detailed in the
Almanac event.
• Once upon a time, a young man by the name of
Thamabal, the son of a tycoon, had an extensive
knowledge of three Vedas (ancient books on
Hinduism) by the age of seven.
• Thamabal had an innate ability that enabled him to
understand the languages of birds.

17. • Thamabal’s attributes allowed him to become a
layman in charge of religious ceremonies for all
classes of people.
• Upon hearing this news another religious leader
Kabel Maha Prohm, decided to challenge
Thamabal with tree riddles.
• He vowed that if Thamabal could successfully
answer the riddles, he would be beheaded;
however if Thamabal could not answer the riddles
correctly then it would be Thamabal who would
be beheaded.
• Thamabal insisted on having seven days to
answer the puzzling enigma until Kabel Maha
Prohm agreed.

18. • 6 days passed Thamabal could not find the answer
and knew that he faced the prospect of being killed by
Kabel Maha Prohm the next morning.
• He therefore decided to hide himself and let his life
fade away by natural causes laying himself under the
fig trees in which a pair of eagles were nesting.
• That night Thamabal listened to the eagles 'talks
carefully regarding the 3 lucks of the day.

19. – The female asked, “What will we eat tomorrow
morning?”
– The male eagle replied, “We will eat the flesh of
Thamabal because tomorrow he is going to be
beheaded by Kabel Maha Prohm due to his
inability to solve the riddles”.
– The female then asked, “What are the riddles?”
– The male answered, “The first riddle is, where is
luck to be found in the morning?”
• Is on the face because people always take water to wash
their faces.

20. • Second riddle: where is the luck to be found in
the noon?
• Third riddle: where is the luck to be found in
the evening?
– Is at the feet, because people need to clean the legs
before going to bed
– Is on the chest, because people take water to pour/
wash on chest.

21. • Finally, Thamabal could solve the riddle. Then Kabel
Moha Prom was beheaded as his promise.
• However, if his head fell on Earth, the fire would burn the
earth. If it was thrown into the air, the water in the clouds
would evaporate. If it was thrown into the sea, it would
dry up the oceans.
• To protect the world from the damage, his seven
daughters were required to take care of their father’s head
in turns for a year each.

22. • Every year, the seven daughters of Kabel
Moha Prohm respectfully kept their father’s
head on the tray and proceeded among other
angels around the Mount Sumeru (the
legendary home of the gods) for one hour
before they took it to place at the Mount
Kailash, its sanctuary.

24. Names of Kabel Moha Prohm
• The Seven Angels of the Almanac, if the
annual procession falls on:
– Sunday is responded by Toungsa Devi,
– Monday is responded by Koreaka Devi,
– Tuesday is responded by Reaksasa Devi,
– Wednesday is responded by Kereney Devi,
– Friday is responded by Kemera Devi,
– And Saturday is responded by Mahotara Devi.

25. Thank for Attention!
• Discussions
• Questions
• Answers