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New Year 2008, The Day of Life Saving
13-Apr-2008

The crowd with a Cambodian traditional cloths and Khmer traditional cheesecloth holding some money and a cub of sand in hands is standing in line in front of small hills which were stick up with different colors of small paper flags. That is a Cambodian Traditional Sand Hill Building ceremony.

Every April of the year is the occasion of Khmer New Year when is the Cambodian holiday after they are working hard and studying for a whole year to reunion members of family from different places.

It is seen all most houses nationwide Cambodia got decorated. Cambodian people are playing music and some are enjoying the traditional games as scarf throwing, tree seeds playing, dancing and powdering to each other to welcome the coming of New Year. Some places, we see young people are sprinkling water to make occasion more amused. Even though they very enjoy in this occasion, they do not forget to take some foods and offerings to monks, especially the last day of Khmer New Year because they have to build a small hill in order to save their life for the next year as soon as some families invite monks to hold the Srong Preah ceremony [God washing ceremony].

The sand hill building is always celebrated every year on Khmer New Year and the procession is done differently by places. Ajar [wise man] Prom Din of Royal palace said, the ceremony is often held on the second and the third day of Khmer New Year however some pagodas celebrate on the third day to the fourth day depending on the approval by monks and pagoda committees.

Although Cambodian people, the Buddhists, are very busy in the auspicious occasion, Ajar Din added, Sand hill building is to ask for apology of people’s wrong doing in the recent past. In addition, they also ask for excusing to throw away their bad deed, sins and to ask for the future happiness as well.

He further added, the sand hill building ceremony symbolizes to Preah Cholamony mausoleum which was constructed to keep Buddha’s hair and Preah Changkomkeo [the ash of Buddha]. In this ceremony, some places do it by using rice in stead of sand at monk eating hall or inside the temple.

Many young people are going around the hills because they wonder how much to put the sand, the elder Meach Pon the Cambodian Traditional author said, the sand hill building does not determine its size or high; it relies on us. He added, “It is also necessary to have a big sand hill in central with four other small hills at every four directions.”

The ways and places to build sand hill

To build a sand hill, Ajar Prum Din said, firstly we have to take white sand to pile in the centre of a place build into a shrine shape direct to east and it is regarded as “Sand Hill”.

Around sand hill was held a Reach Wat ceremony [defense building ceremony] decorated with coconut leaves, Rom Se leaves [kind of tropical leaves] into four corners with four doors at every four directions. Reach Wat was environed with deity’s patios at every 8 directions and above each deity’s patios was placed with a pair of Sla Thor [banana trunks or a small banana tree attached with some betel leaves and flowers], a pair of a level of Bay Sey [Section of banana tree trunk with legs to which 3, 5, 7 or 9 layers of banana leaves rolled up in finger shape have been attached and decorated with flowers], five candles and incenses, five betel and cigarettes, Leach [popping rice], flowers and candles and incenses are lit, said Ajar Prum Din.

He further more stressed that in front of sand hill beside of Reach Wat, we make three other big patios to offer to spirit king in the centre. At the left of those patios of spirit king is Buddhism blessing, and at right is Preah Visanu patio [The god who symbolized to a construction creature]. The three big patios are decorated as deity’s patios but different in Bay Sey which there is 19 levels and placed cloths at the right and the left side as well as offering some foods.

Mingle of Buddhism scarified objects, multi-colors- paper flags attached to shrine and sand hills were surrounded with holy silk, he added that they do so to prevent unforeseen danger. The sand hill which represent to Preah Choloum mausoleum was covered aside with 0.5 cm called “Bom Bouss Phnom [Hill Marriage]”.

What Bom Bouss Phnom Means?

Ajar Prum Din explained that, in this occasion the monks are chanting at the temple by pursuing to scat holy silk surround sand hills. When the sand hills are blessed, it symbolized Preah Cholamony mausoleum and then wise man [Ajars] will wish and offer the offering to deities and spirit king who take care the human being and also to apologize for the past wrong doing. Later on Ajar will turn this merit to ancestors who passed a way such great grand parents, parents and relatives as well.

The hill which was become to shrine, the people who firstly cross over or break it will get a sin, stated Ajar Din.
At the final ceremony, laypeople are holding incenses and candles move towards to sand hills; then Ajar starts the ritual in front of sand hill, at the same time, the monks are praying a good luck in merit hall. Ajar continue celebrating ceremony in front of the sand hills to dedicate and to bring sand hills out of ordain by saying a Pali word that “I will be out of ordain from holy sand hills now. I don’t suppose that it is the holly sand hills anymore and the people who make them broken; they will not get sin.”

After we dedicated the holly sand hills to become normal sand hills, we will be gathering in merit hall once again to give food to monks for lunch. Onwards, at late afternoon we rally to chant merit to thank to Buddha and to invite monks to make preach. The next ritual is time for laypeople to wash Buddha statue and water which is being washed mix with flowers and a good smell of perfume; that is called “God Washing Ceremony”.

Khmer New Year 2008
Does youth adhere the custom?
Always wearing a modern cloth and turning to change to take on traditional cloth with new stylish high light hair Miss. Solika said, “Although we always wear new modern cloths, we have to change taking on traditional cloth because we have to take some food to offer to monks at pagodas to dedicate to our death relatives in our Khmer New Year.”

“I often go to pagoda at the last day of our Khmer New Year because it is time for us to build a sand hill in order to give away our wrong doing or sin in the recent past to get back good luck and prosperity for New Year,” said Miss. Solika.

Standing with a very stylish cloth of a tight pants and long straight high light fairy hair in front of Wat Phnom pagoda Miss. Soka said, “I always come here to play our Khmer traditional games every night before upcoming Khmer New Year. Due to, I rarely go to pagoda and my parents always urge me to take food to pagoda, especially, on the last year of this auspicious occasion because they want me to build a sand hill. It is believed that sand hill building can through away our bad sin, onwards, we will together celebrate Srong Preah ceremony [God Washing ceremony].”

May Titthara
Photographs by Heng Chivoan

Cambodia: the life, April 2008

New Year 2008, The Day of Life Saving13-Apr-2008

The crowd with a Cambodian traditional cloths and Khmer traditional cheesecloth holding some money and a cub of sand in hands is standing in line in front of small hills which were stick up with different colors of small paper flags. That is a Cambodian Traditional Sand Hill Building ceremony.

New Year 2008, The Day of Life Saving
13-Apr-2008