Culture of Cambodia
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The culture of Cambodia has had a rich and varied history
dating back many centuries, and has been heavily influenced by India and China.[1]
Throughout Cambodia's long history, a major source of
inspiration was from religion. Throughout nearly two millennium,
Cambodians developed a unique Khmer
belief from the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of Buddhism
and Hinduism.
Indian culture and civilization, including its language and arts
reached mainland Southeast Asia around the 1st century AD. It
is generally believed that seafaring merchants brought Indian customs
and culture to ports along the Gulf of Thailand
and the Pacific while trading with China. The
first state to benefit from this was Funan.
Architecture and housing
Main article: Architecture of
Cambodia
The Angkorian architects and sculptors created temples that mapped the cosmic
world in stone. Khmer decorations drew inspiration from religion, and
mythical creatures from Hinduism and Buddhism
were carved on walls. Temples were built in accordance to the rule of
ancient Khmer architecture that dictated that a basic temple layout
include a central shrine, a courtyard, an enclosing wall, and a moat.
Khmer motifs use many creatures from Buddhist and Hindu mythology, like
the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, use motifs such as the garuda, a
mythical bird in Hinduism. The architecture of Cambodia developed in
stages under the Khmer empire from the 9th
to the 15th century, preserved in many buildings of the Angkor
temple. The remains of secular architecture from this time are rare, as
only religious buildings were made of stone. The architecture of the
Angkor period used specific structural features and styles, which are
one of the main methods used to date the temples, along with
inscriptions.
In modern rural Cambodia, the nuclear family typically lives in a
rectangular house that may vary in size from four by
six meters to six by ten meters. It is constructed of a wooden frame
with gabled thatch roof and walls of woven bamboo. Khmer houses are typically raised as much as three meters on
stilts for protection from annual floods. Two ladders or wooden staircases provide
access to the house. The steep thatch roof overhanging the house walls
protects the interior from rain.
Typically a house contains three rooms separated by partitions of woven
bamboo. The front room serves as a living room used to receive visitors,
the next room is the parents' bedroom, and the third is for unmarried
daughters. Sons sleep anywhere they can find space. Family members and
neighbors work together to build the house, and a house-raising ceremony
is held upon its completion. The houses of poorer persons may contain
only a single large room. Food is prepared in a separate kitchen located near
the house but usually behind it. Toilet facilities consist of simple
pits in the ground, located away from the
house, that are covered up when filled. Any livestock is kept below the
house. Chinese and Vietnamese houses in Cambodian towns and villages
are typically built directly on the ground and have earthen, cement, or
tile floors, depending upon the economic status of the owner. Urban
housing and commercial buildings may be of brick, masonry, or wood.[2]
Religion
Main article: Religion in Cambodia
Cambodia is predominantly Buddhist with 90% of the population being Theravada Buddhist, 1% Christian and
the majority of the remaining population follow Islam, atheism,
or animism.
Buddhism has existed in Cambodia since at least the 5th century CE Theravada
Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century
CE (excepting the Khmer Rouge period), and is currently estimated to be
the faith of 90% of the population.[3]
Islam
is the religion of a majority of the Cham
(also called Khmer Islam) and Malay minorities in Cambodia.
According to Po Dharma,
there were 150,000 to 200,000 Muslims in
Cambodia as late as 1975. Persecution under the Khmer
Rouge eroded their numbers, however, and by the late 1980s they
probably had not regained their former strength. All of the Cham Muslims
are Sunnis of the Shafi'i
school. Po Dharma divides the Muslim Cham in Cambodia into a
traditionalist branch and an orthodox branch.
Christianity was introduced into Cambodia by
Roman Catholic missionaries in 1660. However, it made little headway at
first, particularly among Buddhists. In 1972 there were probably about
20,000 Christians in Cambodia, most of whom were Roman Catholics. According to Vatican
statistics, in 1953, members of the Roman Catholic Church in Cambodia
numbered 120,000, making it, at that time, the second largest religion
in the country. In April 1970, just before repatriation, estimates
indicate that about 50,000 Catholics were Vietnamese. Many of the
Catholics remaining in Cambodia in 1972 were Europeans—chiefly French.
American Protestant missionary activity increased in Cambodia,
especially among some of the hill tribes and among the Cham, after the
establishment of the Khmer Republic. The 1962 census, which reported
2,000 Protestants in Cambodia,
remains the most recent statistic for the group. Observers reported that
in 1980 there were more registered Khmer Christians among the refugees
in camps in Thailand than in all of Cambodia before 1970. Kiernan notes
that, until June 1980, five weekly Protestant services were held in
Phnom Penh by a Khmer pastor, but that they had been reduced to a single
weekly service after police harassment.[2]
There are around 20,000 Catholics in Cambodia which represents only
0.15% of the total population. There are no dioceses, but there are
three territorial jurisdictions - one Apostolic Vicariate and two Apostolic Prefectures.
Highland tribal groups, most with their own local religious systems,
probably number fewer than 100,000 persons. The Khmer
Loeu have been loosely described as animists, but most tribal groups have their own
pantheon of local spirits. In general they see their world filled with
various invisible spirits (often called yang), some benevolent, others
malevolent. They associate spirits with rice, soil, water, fire, stones,
paths, and so forth. Sorcerers or specialists in each village contact
these spirits and prescribe ways to appease them. In times of crisis or
change, animal sacrifices may be made to placate the anger of the
spirits. Illness is often believed to be caused by evil spirits or
sorcerers. Some tribes have special medicine men or shamans who treat the sick. In addition to
belief in spirits, villagers believe in taboos on many objects or
practices. Among the Khmer Loeu, the Rhade
and Jarai
groups have a well developed hierarchy of spirits with a supreme ruler
at its head.[2]
Ways of life
Birth and death rituals
The birth of a child is a happy event for the family. According to
traditional beliefs, however, confinement and childbirth expose the
family, and especially the mother and the child to harm from the spirit
world. A woman who dies in childbirth—crosses the river (chhlong tonle)
in Khmer is believed to become an evil spirit. In traditional Khmer
society, a pregnant woman respects a number of food taboos and avoids
certain situations. These traditions remain in practice in rural
Cambodia, but they have become weakened in urban areas.[4]
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. Buddhist Khmer
usually are cremated, and their ashes are deposited in a stupa in the
temple compound. A corpse is washed, dressed, and placed in a coffin,
which may be decorated with flowers and with a photograph of the
deceased. White pennant-shaped flags, called "white crocodile flags,"
outside a house indicate that someone in that household has died. A
funeral procession consisting of an achar, Buddhist monks, members of
the family, and other mourners accompanies the coffin to the
crematorium. The spouse and the children show mourning by shaving their
heads and by wearing white clothing. Relics such as teeth or pieces of
bone are prized by the survivors, and they are often worn on gold chains
as amulets.[4]
If the child is always ill, his or her parents can go and change the
name of child
Childhood and adolescence
bicycle
Main article: Childhood and adolescence
in Cambodia
A Cambodian child may be nursed until he or she is between two and
four years of age. Up to the age of three or four, the child is given
considerable physical affection and freedom. Children around five years
of age also may be expected to help look after younger siblings.
Children's games emphasize socialization or skill rather than winning
and losing.[4]
Most children begin school when they are seven or eight. By the time
they reach this age, they are familiar with the society's norms of
politeness, obedience, and respect toward their elders and toward
Buddhist monks. The father at this time begins his permanent retreat
into a relatively remote, authoritarian role. By age ten, a girl is
expected to help her mother in basic household tasks; a boy knows how to
care for the family's livestock and can do farm work under the
supervision of older males. Adolescent children usually play with
members of the same sex. During his teens, a boy may become a temple
servant and go on to serve a time as a novice monk, which is a great
honor for the parents.[4]
In precommunist days, parents exerted complete authority over their
children until the children were married, and the parents continued to
maintain some control well into the marriage. Age difference is strictly
recognized with polite vocabulary and special generational terms for
"you".[4]
[edit] Courtship, marriage, and divorce
Main article: Courtship,
marriage, and divorce in Cambodia
In Cambodia, premarital sex is deplored. The choice of a spouse is a
complex one for the young male, and it may involve not only his parents
and his friends, as well as those of the young woman, but also a
matchmaker. In theory, a girl may veto the spouse her parents have
chosen. Courtship patterns differ between rural and urban Khmer;
romantic love is a notion that exists to a much greater extent in larger
cities. A man usually marries between the ages of nineteen and
twenty-five, a girl between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. After a
spouse has been selected, each family investigates the other to make
sure its child is marrying into a good family. In rural areas, there is a
form of bride-service; that is, the young man may take a vow to serve
his prospective father-in-law for a period of time.[4]
The traditional wedding is a long and colorful affair. Formerly it
lasted three days, but in the 1980s it more commonly lasted a day and a
half. Buddhist priests offer a short sermon and recite prayers of
blessing. Parts of the ceremony involve ritual hair cutting, tying
cotton threads soaked in holy water around the bride's and groom's
wrists, and passing a candle around a circle of happily married and
respected couples to bless the union. After the wedding, a banquet is
held. Newlyweds traditionally move in with the wife's parents and may
live with them up to a year, until they can build a new house nearby.[4]
Divorce is legal and relatively easy to obtain, but not common.[4]
Divorced persons are viewed with some disapproval. Each spouse retains
whatever property he or she brought into the marriage, and
jointly-acquired property is divided equally. Divorced persons may
remarry, but the woman must wait ten months. Custody of minor children
is usually given to the mother, and both parents continue to have an
obligation to contribute financially toward the rearing and education of
the child.[4]
Social organization
Main article: Social organization in Cambodia
Khmer culture is very hierarchical. The greater a person's age, the
greater the level of respect that must be granted to them. Cambodians
are addressed with a hierarchical title corresponding to their seniority
before the name. When a married couple becomes too old to support
themselves, they may invite the youngest child's family to move in and
to take over running the household. At this stage in their lives, they
enjoy a position of high status.[4]
The individual Khmer is surrounded by a small inner circle of family
and friends who constitute his or her closest associates, those he would
approach first for help. The nuclear family, consisting of a husband
and a wife and their unmarried children, is the most important kin
group. Within this unit are the strongest emotional ties, the assurance
of aid in the event of trouble, economic cooperation in labor, sharing
of produce and income, and contribution as a unit to ceremonial
obligations. In rural communities, neighbors—who are often also kin—may
be important, too. Fictive child-parent, sibling, and close friend
relationships Cambodia transcend kinship boundaries and serve to
strengthen interpersonal and interfamily ties. Beyond this close circle
are more distant relatives and casual friends. In rural Cambodia, the
strongest ties a Khmer may develop—besides those to the nuclear family
and to close friends—are those to other members of the local community. A
strong feeling of pride—for the village, for the district, and
province—usually characterizes Cambodian community life.[5]
Legally, the husband is the head of the Khmer family, but the wife
has considerable authority, especially in family economics. The husband
is responsible for providing shelter and food for his family; the wife
is generally in charge of the family budget, and she serves as the major
ethical and religious model for the children, especially the daughters.
Both husbands and wives are responsible for domestic economic tasks.[5]
Customs
In Khmer culture a person's head is
believed to contain the persons soul--therefore
making it taboo
to touch or point your feet at it. It is also considered to be
extremely disrespectful to point or sleep with your feet pointing at a
person, as the feet are the lowest part of the body and are considered
to be impure.
When greeting people or to show respect in Cambodia people do the "sampeah"
gesture, identical to the Indian namaste
and Thai wai
Customary Cambodian teachings include: that if a person does not wake
up before sunrise he is lazy; you have to tell your parents or elders
where you are going and what time you are coming back home; close doors
gently, otherwise you have a bad temper; sit with your legs straight
down and not crossed (crossing your legs shows that you are an impolite
person); and always let other people talk more than you.
Clothing
Main article: Cambodian clothing
Clothing in Cambodia is one of the most important aspects of the
culture. Cambodian fashion is divided by the people's differing castes
and social classes. Cambodians traditionally wear a checkered scarf
called a "Krama".
The "krama" is what distinctly separates the Khmer (Cambodians) from
their neighbors the Thai, the Vietnamese, and the Laotians. The scarf is
used for many purposes including for style, protection from the sun, an
aid (for your feet) when climbing trees, a hammock
for infants, a towel, or as a "sarong". A
"krama" can also be easily shaped into a small child's doll for play.
Under the Khmer Rouge, krama of various patterns were part
of standard clothing.
The long-popular traditional costume known as the Sampot,
a Chinese-influenced
costume which Cambodians wore since the Funan era, has lost popularity. However, Khmer People's clothing also changed depending
on the time period and religion. From the Funan era back to the Angkor
Era, there was a strong invasion of Hinduism
which influenced Cambodian fashion to have upper naked, wear Sampot and
wear their jewelry like bracelets and especially, collars like Sarong
Kor, a symbol of Hinduism.
After the decrease in popularity of Hinduism,
leading to Buddhism, Khmer
people started wearing the blouse, shirt and trousers of Khmer style. Most important of all,
Khmer people, both common and royal, stopped wearing the Hindu-style
collars and began to adopt shawls like Sbai with beautiful
decoration instead. This new clothing style was popular from the
Chatomok region to Oudok period.
A Khmer lady habitually chooses the right colour for her Sampot or
blouse, both to please herself and to follow the costume of good luck.
Some Cambodians still wear a religious style of clothing. Some Khmer
men and women wear a Buddha pendant in a necklace fashion. There are
different pendants for different uses; some are meant for protection
from evil spirits, some are meant to bring good luck.
Otherwise, in the notable class people in Cambodia, especially the
royal caste, have adapted a well known dress as well as expensive
fashion style.Sampot is still well recognized among the
royalty. Most royalty prefer Sampot Phamung, a new version of
sampot adapted by Thai people in the 17th century. Since the Oudok
period, most royalty have retained their dressing habits. Female
royalty created the most attractive fashion. The lady always wears a
traditional cape called sbai or rabai kanorng, which is
draped over the left shoulder, leaving the right shoulder bare. Rarely
was the cape worn over the right shoulder. The sbai or rabai kanorng
would have been sumptuously fashioned in the old days in threads of
genuine gold or silver. The cape in the old days would have hung down to
the hem of the Sampot.
Dancers wear a collar known as Sarong Kor around their necks.
Importantly, they wear a unique skirt called Sampot sara-bhap
(lamé), made from silk inter-woven with gold or silver threads, forming
elaborate and intricate designs that shimmer as the dancers move. This
is held in place with a bejewelled belt. A multitude of jewellery is
also worn by the female dancers. These include earrings, several pairs
of bangles, a garland of flowers in the form of a bracelet, bracelets,
anklets and an armlet that is worn on the right. Several body chains
cross over the body like a sash. A circular or diamond shaped pendant is
worn around the neck.
There are several different types of mokot worn by female royalty.
The typical mokots that are worn are much similar to those of male
royalty. Some crowns are just like tiaras where at the back of the mokot
hair is let loose, cascading down the back. Other mokots have a few
accessories such as ear pieces that would sit above the ear and help
hold the mokot in place while a comb at the back is just an added
accessory. Flowers are also worn on the mokot in the same style, but the
hanging garlands of flowers are worn on the left and the bouquet is
worn on the right. The best example of these royal clothes is
illustrated by Khmer classical dance costumes, which are an adaptation
of the beautiful royalty costume.
Cuisine
Main article: Cuisine of Cambodia
Khmer cuisine is similar to that of its Southeast Asian neighbors. It shares many similarities with Thai
cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine and Teochew cuisine. Cambodian cuisine also uses fish
sauce widely in soups, stir-fried cuisine, and as dippings. The Chinese legacy of Stir
frying can be noted in the use of many variations of rice noodles; while Curry dishes known as kari (in Khmer, ការី)
that employ dried spices such as star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg
and fennel were borrowed from the Indians and
given a distinctive Cambodian twist with the addition of local
ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, shallots and
galangal.[6]
Pork broth rice noodle soup known simply as ka tieu (គុយទាវ) is one of
Cambodia's popular dish. Also, Banh Chiao is the Khmer version of
the Vietnamese Bánh xèo.
Khmer cuisine is noted for the use of prahok
(ប្រហុក), a type of fermented fish paste, in
many dishes as a distinctive flavoring. When prahok is not used, it is
likely to be kapǐ (កាពិ) instead, a kind of fermented shrimp
paste. Coconut milk is the main ingredient of many
Khmer curries and desserts. In Cambodia there is regular aromatic rice and
glutinous or sticky rice. The latter is
used more in dessert dishes with fruits such as durian.
Almost every meal is eaten with a bowl of rice. Typically, Cambodians
eat their meals with at least three or four separate dishes. Each
individual dish will usually be one of either sweet, sour, salty or
bitter. Chili is usually left up to the individual to add themselves. In
this way Cambodians ensure that they get a bit of every flavor to
satisfy their palates.
Otherwise,Cuisine of Cambodians also become unique depend on some
area of different ethnics.In Kampot and
Kep, famous for its cuisine known Kampot Pepper
Crab or Kdab Cha Mrin Kyai(ក្តាមឆាម្រេចខ្ជី) in khmer. With its
name Kampot Pepper crab, this cuisine is mostly cooking with kampot
famous crap fried with the pepper from pepper field in the area. While
in Pailin, Mee Kola is was born in that
place, create by Kula people who is one of ethnic groups in Cambodia.In
southern Cambodia, most of Vietnamese cuisine had been found
especially Bánh tráng which is so famous
dish in southern Cambodia but just few people from Central, had ever
eat this meals.Look forward to The area between Siem
Reap to Kampong Thom, a village with full of Chinese Cambodian. A lot of delicious dishes from China in
Khmer version explored for the guest in family as well as its urban
restaurants.
Arts and literature
Visual art
Main articles: Visual arts of Cambodia and Khmer sculpture
The history of visual arts in Cambodia
stretches back centuries to ancient crafts; Khmer art reached its peak
during the Angkor
period. Traditional Cambodian arts and crafts include textiles, non-textile weaving,
silversmithing, stone
carving, lacquerware, ceramics,
wat murals, and kite-making.
Beginning in the mid-20th century, a tradition of modern art began in
Cambodia, though in the later 20th century both traditional and modern
arts declined for several reasons, including the killing of artists by
the Khmer Rouge. The country has experienced a recent artistic
revival due to increased support from governments, NGOs, and foreign
tourists.
Music
Main article: Music of Cambodia
Especially in the 60s and 70s, the 'big two' duet of Sinn Sisamouth and Ros Sereysothea had been a large
hit in the country. However after their deaths, new music stars have
tried to bring back the music. Cambodian music has undergone heavy
Westernization.
The Cambodian pinpeat ensemble is traditionally heard on feast days
in the pagodas. It is also a court ensemble used to accompany classical
dance for ritual occasions or theatrical events. The pinpeat is
primarily made up of percussion instruments: the roneat ek (lead
xylophone), roneat thung (low bamboo xylophone), kong vong touch and
kong vong thom (small and large sets of tuned gongs), sampho (two-sided
drum), skor thom (two large drums), and sralai (quadruple-reed
instrument).
Dance
Main article: Dance of Cambodia
Cambodian Dance can be divided into three main categories: classical
dance, folk dances, and vernacular dances.
Khmer classical dance is a form of Cambodian dance originally
performed only for royalty. The dances have many elements in common with
Thai classical dance. During the mid-20th
century, it was introduced to the public where it now remains a
celebrated icon of Khmer culture, often being performed during public
events, holidays, and for tourists visiting Cambodia.this classical
Dance is famous for its using of hands and feet to express emotion which
known as there are 4,000 different gestures in this type of dance.
Provided as repeating a golden age in 1960s, Khmer Classical Dance which
know as The Royal Ballet of Cambodia after select as UNESCO's Masterpieces
of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity, has lead one of
its dance to be a outstanding dance of all for culture and society. Reamker,
a khmer version of Indian, Ramayana
had influced strongly to Khmer classical dance. It involved in khmer
gesture, movement and story line.The dance that divided from Reamker
Dance known as robam sovann macha and robam moni mekala.
In Facts, all of Dance reminded the audience of celestial dance which
is an angel or Apsara in sansrit mythology in goal of bring the good
luck and success to the viewer. The Classical dance is create by the
heart of high art as the performer is decorated with themselves with a
branches of jewellry.
Apsara Dance, a khmer dance that has survived since the Angkor
Era, has been singled out to attract foreign tourists and to make
the richness of khmer culture known to the world. Apsara Dance was
promoted by Princess Norodom Bopha Devi before the Khmer Rouge times and
recently has received an award as one of the main symbols of Cambodia.
Khmer folk dances, which are performed for audiences, are fast-paced.
The movements and gestures are not as stylized as Khmer classical
dance. Folk dancers wear clothes of the people they are portraying such
as Chams, hill tribes, farmers, and peasants. The
folk dance music is played by a mahori
orchestra.
Cambodian vernacular dances (or social
dances) are those danced at social gatherings. Such dances include ram vong,
ram kbach, ram saravan, and lam leav. Some of
these dances have much influence from the traditional dances of Laos. But rom
kbach, for example, take heavily from the classical dance of the
royal court. Other social dances from around the world have had an
impact on Cambodian social culture include the Cha-cha, Bolero,
and the Madison.
Literature
Main article: Literature of Cambodia
A testimony of the antiquity of the Khmer language are the multitude
of epigraphic
inscriptions on stone. The first written proof that has allowed the
history of the Khmer Kingdom to be reconstructed are those inscriptions.
These writings on columns, stelae and walls throw light on the royal lineages,
religious edicts, territorial conquests and internal organization of the
kingdom.
Following the stone inscriptions, some of the oldest Khmer documents
are translations and commentaries of the Pali Buddhist texts of the Tripitaka. They were written by the monks on palmyra
palm leaves and kept in various monasteries throughout the country.
The Ram Ker (Rama's fame) is the Cambodian version of the Ramayana,
the famous Indian epic. The Ram Ker
comes in rhymed verses and is staged in sections that are adapted to
dance movements interpreted by local artists. The Ram Ker is the oldest
form of Cambodian theatre.
Cambodia had a rich and varied traditional oral literature. There are
many legends, tales and songs of very ancient origin that were not put
into writing until the arrival of the Europeans. One of the most
representative of these tales was the story of Vorvong
and Sorvong (Vorvong and Saurivong), a long story about two Khmer
princes that was first put into writing by Auguste
Pavie. This French civil servant claimed that he had obtained the
story from old Uncle Nip in Somrontong District. This story was put into
writing in Battambang.[7]
In 2006 the Vorvong and Sorvong story was enacted in dance form by the Royal Ballet of Cambodia.[8]
Tum
Teav which has been compared to a local version of Shakespeare's Romeo and Juliet, is a khmer famous literature,originally
based on a poem written by a Khmer Monk named Sam. The story is took
place during Lovek
era, about tragic love story that has been told throughout Cambodia
since at least the middle of the 19th century.The story has been
portrayed in many forms including oral, historical, literary, theatre,
and film adaptions. The story also have a role in Cambodia's education in the 12th grade
as a topic for Khmer language examination for several times.
Although its first translation in French had been made by Étienne Aymonier already in 1880, Tum Teav was
popularized abroad when writer George
Chigas translated the 1915 literary version by the venerable
Buddhist monk Preah Botumthera Som or Padumatthera Som, known also
as Som, one of the best writers in the Khmer language.[9]
The notable people especially in royalty caste which in attraction
and talented in khmer literature known as King Ang
Duong (1841–1860) and King Thommaracha II (1629–1634). King
Thomaracha had reserved for Khmer young generation with a well loved
poem and a educated poem while King Ang Duong famous for his novel
called Kakey, an inspiration from Jataka tales about an unfaithful woman and a
female law which now become a notable law, used to teach the young khmer
girl in some notable famil today.
