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Culture

Culture of Cambodia Customs

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.

Khmer culture is very hierarchical. The greater a person's age, the greater the level of respect that must be granted to them. Everyone in Khmer culture is given a hierarchical title before the name - in some cases names are shortened with the title added before the name is given - which varies in relation to the person. In some cases elders are referred to by a family title even though there is no relation, out of respect to their seniority in life. Referring to someone by the improper title is a sign of disrespect and would be assumed as improper parenting or a lack of respect for elders.

Cambodians traditionally wear a checkered scarf called a "Krama". The "kroma" 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, all Khmer were forced to wear a red checkered "krama".

In Khmer culture a persons 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.

One traditional Khmer belief taught by monks is that there are three types of delusions or addictions which will lead to the self destruction of a man which are
• women, • alcohol • gambling ("srey, srai, la-baing").

Almost all 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.

When greeting people or to show respect in Cambodia people do the "sampeah" gesture, identical to the Thai wai and similar to the Indian namaste.

Wedding traditions

The legend of Preah Thaong and Neang Neak explains much of Khmer wedding customs, in which the groom carries the bride's scarf, symbolizing he is from afar and is marrying into her family. In contradiction to Indian wedding customs where the bride holds the groom's scarf, as the case for Khmers, the groom is whom stays with the bride's family. In accordance with the Khmer wedding ritual weddings take three days. The bride and groom wear garments decorated with jewelery and are surrounded by family and guests. The bride and groom wear garments as a sign of respect to their parents and parents in law, both of which offer their blessing to the couples. They also pray to the monks for a happy life. Nowadays most Khmers in Cambodia and foreign countries celebrate with both traditional Khmer and western style weddings.

Music

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.

Cuisine

Cambodian cuisine is similar to Thai cuisine but isn't as spicy. It also exhibits themes common to neighboring regions including the use of curry in dishes as in Indian cuisine, or the use of noodles popular in Chinese cuisine. Indeed, the cuisine of Cambodia has even incorporated elements from French cuisine as a consequence of being a French protectorate.

Dance

Cambodian dance comprises of two main categories:
• Classical dance (kh: Robam preah reachea trop) means 'dances of royal wealth' which was originally performed only for royalty.
• Folk dances were performed for an audience. Khmer folk dances are fast-paced their movements and gestures are not as stylized as the classical dance.

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