What Is Khmer New Year? | Khmer Empire Blog

The traditional Khmer New Year festival lasts for 3 days. The first day is "Great Sankranti". the Second day is "One Bat Day" and the third day is " Leng Sak Day". Determining the month, day, hour, and minute when the old year expires and the new year deity comes down to take over from the old year deity can know regularly according to the ancient astrological rules, this is the great Sankranti rule.




From the time of  Nokor Thom up to the Khmer, we use the moon ( The way of the moon) to determine the month of March. The year is the first month and the twelfth month is the twelfth month. Only later did they use the solar system ( the way the sun move) as the main one and set the new year in the lunar month ( the second month ). When the sun moves from the zodiac sign to the zodiac sign and the New Year is always on th 13th of April Every Year, but from time to time, there is a slip in the new tear on the 14th.


Maha Sankranti, which uses the method of solar astrology, is called " Simple Sankranti" ( the sun goes straight above the head as Sankranti ). Maha Sankranti, which uses the lunar calendar method, is called " Ayant Sankrantu" ( when the sun is obliquely crooked 0. They still used the moon in conjunction with the sun, because the moon is associated with many  Buddhist precepts.


The lunar New Year is not a regular day, sometimes during the lunar new year, sometimes during the lunar new year. Back. But in between a month is not before the 4th day of the month of the month of Chet and not later than the 4th day of the month of Pisak, so some Sankranti falls into Pisak month.


For Khmer ceremonies, we prepare according to the tradition, before the New Year, they prepare food, clean the house, carry water and put jars Find firewood and cut new clothes. 

On New Year's Day, they prepare offerings for the new deity : a pair of rice, a pair of slam dharmas, five incense sticks five candles, and a pair of flowers. Ginger, a glass of water, a fruit and a drink of all kinds of fruit cakes. The houses are decorated with light bulbs, colorful wires or colorful lanterns to welcome new angels. 


When the time came for the new deity to come down, they brought their children to sit together near the shrine and lit incense candles. Pray for all kinds of prosperity from the new deity.


THE THREE DAYS OF THE KHMER NEW YEAR ARE: 

Day 1 : The bring food to the monks at the pagoda. In the evening, sand is transported to build a stupa around the temples or around a Po tree in the pagoda. In the evening, drinks are served to the monks, and Chamroeun Preah Berit is invited to give a seron.


Day 2 : Children give clothes, food, money to the rich, parents, grandparents and so on. Sometimes they give alms to servants or the poor. In the afternoon, they went to the sand dunes again and prayed for the sand dunes, which were supposed to be like the Cholamy Stupa, and invited the monks to give birth. The shrine sends blessings to the souls of those who have died.


Day 3 : In the morning, the monks cross the sand mountain. In the evening, the monks fetch water and pick up the Buddha image ( according to the custom of some districts ).


On the occasion of the Khmer New Year, they play a lot of fun games, such as throwing a ball, pulling a rope, hiking a towel, catching a kite. And circus dances, as well as trout dance.