This document summarizes several Khmer traditions: 1. Housewarming ceremonies involve both secular and religious rites to bless a new home and bring good fortune to the owners. Rituals include walking the property, inviting spirits inside, and making offerings. 2. Apologizing prayers are conducted when someone falls ill to determine if ancestors' spirits are displeased by conflicts, premarital sex, or adultery. All family members gather with offerings to beg forgiveness if the wrongdoer is identified. 3. Traditions aim to uphold moral codes for women, maintain family honor, and promote Khmer cultural values.

1. Lectured by:
Mut Somoeun, M.Ed
KHM 140: Khmer Culture
THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBODIA

2. KHMER TRADITIONS
1. Housewarming (ពិធីឡ ើងផ្ទះ)
 2. Apologizing Pray to Ancestor’s Spirits
(ពិធីសែនឡេបា)

3. 1. HOUSEWARMING (ពិធីឡ ើងផ្ទះ)
 Khmer Rite (ពិធីកេមតាេទំឡនៀេសមមរ):
 Prohibit: the female house owner is not allowed to
work in the construction
 Set the good day by a clergy man (usually Friday)
 Select two persons to represent the God divines
(benevolent spirits in house)
 Clergy man, house owners, and relatives walk around
the house (left to right) 3 times, then stop at the front
of house/ front door

4. 1. HOUSEWARMING (CONTINUED)
 Before entering the house, the clergy man asks the
house divines (2 persons) for permission
 The house divines permit the escorting walkers to
enter the house & allow the owners to live in
 The female house owner shall enter the house first
with a three-colors cat in her hand, and followed
by the other participants

5. 1. HOUSEWARMING (CONTINUED)
 When in the house, the clergy man appeal the
divines and spirits to take care of the house
owners and bring good luck, happiness, wealth,
harmony, good health,.....
 The house owners should wear new clothes and
other jewelries/ furniture
 Place at least two sets of new clothes (of the
spouse) and perfume on the tray

6. HOUSEWARMING (CONTINUED)
 Religious Rite (ពិធីកេមតាេសែែសាែនា):
 Invite Buddhist monk (s) to pray for purifying evil
things, bringing good luck, happiness, or
appeasing the malevolent spirits
 After monk (s) praying, the house owners hold the
bowl of water with flowers for the monk to water
over the all house corners
 Offer food, beverages, fruits, and other materials
to the monk (s)

7. HOUSEWARMING (CONTINUED)
 Religious Rite (ពិធីកេមតាេសែែសាែនា):
 The flowers mostly used in the bowl of water or to
throw over the participants and house owners (by
the monks) are:
Jasmine
Lotus
And mixed fragrant flowers
 The flowers can be mixed with candies and longan
which represent the wealth and luck

8. THE PURPOSES OF THE HOUSE WARMING
 Beside the two rites above:
 The house owners invite relatives, friends,
neighbors,...to have a gathering meal party
 Reunite the relationship among family, relatives,
cousins, neighbors, friends...
 Those participants may contribute their gift to house
owners (money or something else)
 To announce the new settlement to the others
 To bring good luck, happiness, success......

9. 2. APOLOGIZING PRAY TO ANCESTOR (ពិធី
សែនឡេបា)
 Khmer Belief:
 Grandparents died but their spirits still always
take care of grandchildren
 Adult girls shall strictly respect the woman
code of conduct and are not allowed to have
sex before getting married
 If break the code of conduct, the punishment to
a member (sickness to a relative) of the girl
 After medical treatment but still sick, the teller
is invited to predict the mistakes

10. 3 TYPES OF MISTAKES TO ANCESTOR’S
SPIRITS
 1. Conflicts among Relatives (មុែឡេបាចាែ់ទុំ):
 Among brotherhood or relatives are prohibited to
have conflicts even verbal fighting
 If the conflict happened, invite all relatives to
gather in the sick person’s house
 Prepare the offerings such as food, alcohol, boiled
pig/ chicken, banana, incense, candle...to pray and
beg for forgiveness from those angry spirits
 Promise not to get anger and have conflict with
each other anymore

11. 3 TYPES OF MISTAKES TO ANCESTOR’S
SPIRITS (CONTINUED)
 2. Adult Sexual Relations(មុែឡេបាក្កេុំកំឡ ះ):
 Adult girl involved the sexual intercourse before
getting married
 Ancestor’s spirits get angry and curse a member
of the relatives get sick
 Invite all families who have adult girl to the sick
person’s house for showing the chicken egg’s
stand
 If found the wrong, then beg for apologizing

12. ADULT SEXUAL RELATIONS (មុែឡេបាក្កេុំកំឡ ះ):
 Stand the rice on the chicken egg (ែូលពងមាន់)?
 No music, but with a pan of offering (foods) and
a bamboo woven (basket) of rice
 An egg is put on the rice in the middle of the
basket
 Old woman with most respect stands up the egg
and prays to ancestors, and divine spirits
 Then she pours the rice onto the egg with calling
each name of those participated adult girls
 When the rice stands on the egg of whom (name)
3 times, it means she committed wrong

13. 3. SEXUAL ADULTERY (មុែឡេបាផ្កា ែ់េុម):
 Refers to sexual adultery/ having sex with other
man (betray husband)
 To find the wrong is conducted as the case of adult
relations (adult girl & boy sexual relations)
 All the married women of relatives gather then
stand the egg and pour the rice onto it to evident
the wrong by calling each name of them per 3
times
 If found the wrong, she will be punished by serious
blame and to confess & promise to all relatives in
the house of the sick person

14. WHY APOLOGIZING PRAY TO ANCESTOR’S
SPIRITS?
 To provide the highest credit and value to women
 To follow code of conduct of women and avoid
sexual misconducts & social immorality
 To maintain the family fame & dignity
 Be a good manager in family & educating daughter
 To promote Khmer culture

15. THANK FOR YOUR ATTENTION!