Khmer Dancing

Polpot took control of Cambodia in 1975 and began to systematically remove all forms of personal, religious and artistic expression from society. Many eminent singers and dancers were put to death. It is likely that most of the classical dances were lost forever as they were not documented. It is a miracle that any of Cambodia’s classical dances has survived at all.

But Khmer classical dance was fortunately saved by a small group of dancers who fled to Thailand and made a great escapade.

In the refugee camps, the artistes rekindled their passion for dance by practising the art form which has been passed on to posterity. There are other dancers who fled to USA and practised the art. In Cambodia, the royal ballet was also revived and is now a crowd-puller.

Apsara – the heavenly dance – is the generic term for Khmer classical dance. Many of the orphanages in the country now teach this dance form. Classical dance traditionally contained four characters – males, females, monkeys and ogres. The characters were drawn from legends and Hindu epics like the Ramayana called Reamkeh in Khmer. Its dance version also contains four main characters. It is also strewn with beasts, Garuda, giants, hermits, monkeys and mermaids. Reamkeh is the most important story in Khmer history. Hanuman, Rama’s friend, is the most loved character in Cambodia. Monkeys’ roles are generally performed by males as they requires extreme athleticism. Their dance costumes are striking and colorful. Sarongs, tunics, ornate tiaras and armlets are the principal outfits. The combination of music, dress and graceful movements are hypnotic. Royal and divine characters are spotted by the tall spire-like head gear .The music that accompanies the dance is an aural treat. The dancers are trained to dance in sync with the background music. King Sihanouk followed his mother by patronising classical dance. His daughter is a trained dancer and a promoter of this rich art form. The Guardian Cambodia’s intricate dance tradition, with 4,000 different gestures, was nearly wiped out by Pol Pot. John O’Mahoney sees it rise from the ashes in the country’s fire-ravaged theatre On the outskirts of Phnom Penh – well beyond the regular tourist stomping grounds of the Royal Palace and the Russian Market – lies one of the most curious cultural establishments in the world. If you approach it from the main road, the Cambodian National Theatre looks like many of the other derelict buildings dotted around the city, if a little more modernist and angular. In 1994, it was gutted by fire, the result of some careless workmen and a gas stove. With no funds for reconstruction, it remains exactly as it must have appeared the morning after the blaze – a scorched shell, roofless, ravaged and open to the elements. But it is only when you enter the building that you perceive the full extent of what’s going on in this extraordinary theatre. Despite the devastation, it’s a hive of activity. Actors practise their roles on a stage that is now little more than a mound of scorched concrete, overgrown with palm trees. Dancers lope around the rubble doing physical exercises, or swing gently in hammocks under the stage. An army of set-builders stagger over boulders in the gutted auditorium, putting the finishing touches to magnificent gilded pagodas and royal carriages. In fact, everything continues as it must have done when this was a full, working performance space. “Before it was destroyed, this theatre was the best in Asia,” says dancer Nup Samoeun, who has been with the company for 29 years. “Even though it has burned down, we still practise and do everything as before. We have no other place to go.” From a western perspective, the fact that this establishment manages to function and create works that tour the world is astounding. Its traditional dance piece Weyreap’s Battle, a collaboration with the Cambodian University of Fine Arts and an independent outfit called Amrita Performing Arts, comes to the Barbican in London this week. For Cambodians, the burned-out theatre is a symbol for the country’s stubborn, beleaguered culture in general. Under the murderous regime of Pol Pot, which lasted from 1975-79, Cambodia and its people came under one of the most ferocious and sustained attacks in history. An estimated 1.7 million people were killed and many millions more displaced to the countryside, as the dictator tried to implement his brutal brand of rural socialism. Nowhere were the policies applied more barbarously than to artists, writers and intellectuals, with an estimated 90% wiped out. This included anyone with secondary or tertiary education. Even people wearing glasses risked summary execution, just for looking brainy. Thirty years on, Cambodian culture has yet to recover. “There are only about 100 writers in this country,” according to You Bo of the writer’s union. “And of that amount, only about 10 have any decent level of education.” One cultural sphere that suffered particularly badly was Cambodia’s 1,000-year-old dance tradition. Before the rise of the Khmer Rouge, there were about 30 troupes performing Lakhaon Kaol, the intricate, masked, all-male sacred form that boasts 4,000 gestures in its movement vocabulary. It was a tradition that existed exclusively in the minds and muscles of the masters who practised it – and thus was almost entirely obliterated during the Pol Pot genocide. After the regime fell, the government launched a nationwide radio campaign to unearth surviving masters of the Kaol. The library of thousands of gestures was pieced together, like fragments of shattered earthenware. Even so, only a handful of the original companies were re-established, and these only on an ad hoc basis to perform for weddings and funerals. So, when it came to staging Weyreap’s Battle – the first major Kaol production in more than 30 years – the challenges were huge. “We travelled to tiny villages, only accessible by boat,” says Fred Frumberg of Amrita. “We tracked down forgotten masters and brought them to the city to make the piece.” One of the choreographers of the piece, Pum Bun Chanrath, was famous in the 1960s and early 70s for his depiction of the role of Hanuman, the mighty Monkey King. But when the Khmer Rouge took over, he was thrown in jail and tortured; he seemed destined for execution. When his guards asked him about his profession, he plumped for the honest approach: “I told them I was a Monkey Dancer,” he says. “The soldier had no idea what that was, and so asked me to give a demonstration. But I was so malnourished and thin that I couldn’t even stand up. All I could do was a pathetic suggestion of itching and scratching.” It was enough to send the guard into paroxysms of laughter, and he was kept alive – and well fed – for future performances. “About a month later, I was released from prison. Most of the people I knew perished. Perhaps it was the Monkey Dance that kept me alive.” To create Weyreap, Chanrath and his fellow masters spent five months in 2003, teaching the thousands of intricate hand gestures to a new generation of dancers, some of whom had never seen Kaol before. The result, which I saw performed in an open market square adjacent to the burned-out theatre, is an irrepressible, often naive riot of colour and tender-hearted good humour. When the platoons of monkey warriors arrive, they scratch their backsides, wriggle about and sniff each other. The sea creatures, with their giant papier-mache claws and flashing eyes, look for all the world like mythical Cambodian undersea ravers.

A protective Yantra being tattooed onto a devotee’s back. Picture by Olivier de Bernon, as published in the book entitled Yantra et Mantra.

Khmer Tattoo Unlike people from Western countries who wear tattoos for decoration or ego hikes, most Cambodians actually tattoo themselves only for self-protection. Khmers believe in Tantras and the magical power they harbour. Few would wear a tattoo just for show sake. People in Cambodia have tattoos on their body to ward off evil or harm and it is widely believed that a certain Yantra crafted by a monk or a holy person on the chest of a believer, will even bounce off a bullet or fragments from a hand grenade. One old chap from Kampot who wishes to be known simply as Nith even claimed that he cannot die because he has a longevity tantra tattooed on his back but quickly added, “unless I default in my vow of abstinence from certain vices as required of me when I begged the monk to tattoo the tantra on me.” In Cambodia today, except for those who joined the army, the number of people sporting a tattoo has reduced largely. Ordinary people, nowadays, do not like the idea of having their skin pierced and stained permanently.

.Many soldiers in the army, armed themselves not just with their issued weapons, but also yantras and tantras. Usually when a man decides to join the ranks of any uniformed unit of defense, he would go to consult a spiritual person (usually a monk) to receive blessings and request for a talisman of sort. Although some are given amulets, many would prefer to tattoo a yantra on their body instead. In some instances, the ritual may also require that the person receiving the tattoo should abstain from talking to anyone for three days and three nights. The master guarantees that no harm will come to the person who can faithfully keep the abstinence; not even a gun would fire and neither would a knife cut. For those who had for some reason or other spoke out during the period of silence, they would have to observe the 5-holy Buddhist Abstinence for as long as they live-they cannot kill, steal, cheat, be intoxicated by alcohol or lust for woman.

Usually, friends and relatives are allowed to be at the ceremony when the master tattoos a yantra on the devotee’s body. The master slowly rubs a Chinese Ink-stick on a dish shallowly filled with water, to produce the coloring for the tattoo, as he instructs the devotee. In the meanwhile, an instrument of what looks like a sharp-pointed bayonet is being sterilized in boiling hot water nearby. Some pieces of cut lemon too are on standby beside the holy man. When the ink in the dish appears thick and dark enough, the master removes the instrument from the pot and grazes it with the lemon pieces. With ink all ready, the master moves swiftly on the devotee’s body with the sharp instrument, piercing the skin in rhythm like a sewing machine as he recites his mantras. Regularly padding the devotee’s skin with ink as it dries, the master’s zaps gradually produce letters in what looks like Khmer alphabets yet none at the scene was able to comprehend. Some murmured that those letters must be Pali, yet those who understood Pali seemed confused as well. Soon, as rows of alphabets became more apparent, the master paused for a break and explained that the mantra tattooed on the body are holy verses derived from Pali. Even as a member of the audience, the stress was quite unbearable; one cannot imagine what the human

A Protective Yantra of War tattooed onto the back of a devotee

A monk working on a devotee as friends and relatives look on. Yantra being tattooed onto a devotee’s arm.	canvas must be going through. “The tattoo is important indeed but more important is the perseverance in keeping the abstinence,” Master Prum Yan stated. “The devotee must be clean in thoughts and conduct himself well. Besides, the magical power in the tattoo will only be effective and even strengthened if the devotee continues to observe all religious festivities, spend time in meditation and regularly pays respect to the Buddha, the Dharma, the Sangha”. Recorded also in the literatures of Chi Takwann, a Chinese author during Angkor Funan era, ordinary people and not just soldiers wear tattoos. Besides their magical powers, Yantra were ornamental arts of the Khmer people at that time. People use little clothing and coupled with their preventive power, many people had tattoos on them. Youngsters today prefer the washable kind of stick-ons just for show. With so many variations coming into the market, who knows, one day people may be able to wear a different form of protection for each day of the week.
	Angelina Jolie’s Khmer Tattoo Angelina Jolie’s Khmer tattoo states words to the effect of: May your enemies run far away from you. If you acquire riches, may they remain yours always. Your beauty will be that of Apsara. (a celestial dancer in Khmer mythology) Wherever you may go, many will attend, serve and protect you, surrounding you on all sides.

Khmer New Year Phnom Penh, April 11, 2007 AKP — Cambodia’s traditional New Year, “Chaul Chhnam Thmei” falls in around mid April or the Chet, the fifth month of the Cambodian lunar calendar during which peasants are relieved of their farm work after the dry-season rice harvest. Three days before new year’s eve, ‘April 14’, houses and pagodas are decorated with flowers, fresh, plastic or paper, with multiform lamps, candles, colored papers, incense sticks and small paddy or rice mounds ( formerly built of sand as a symbol of good harvest) which later will be carried to pagodas as an offering to monks. On New Year eve an exorcist rite is held to pray for the happiness and prosperity in the coming year. Everything is well arranged in advance in each family so that people can be free from kitchen work during the festive days. During the New Year festival which lasts for three days, Cambodians especially the aged, go to pagodas, where usually traditional music is played by an orchestra called “Pinpeat”, to make offerings to monks and pray for the souls of their ancestors. Young people are the most to enjoy the New Year festival. They dance day and night the Romvong (the most popular dance in Cambodia), or Join in different games such as “Chol Chhoung” (knotted scarf throwing-participants group, themselves in two-one male and one female—members of each group, standing in a line take turn to throw the knotted scarf to the other side. Those who fail to catch the scarf have to sing a song), “Angkunh” (nut-throwing similar to the billiard game but on the ground instead of the table) Nowadays, several traditional games such as gushing colored water at passer-by as a wish for luck, or bamboo canoe race etc… Are no longer seen in the country excluding few northwestern areas such as Siem Reap, Battambang, but other entertainments such as artistic performances, film shows, circus, etc… In the country-side, long-handle guitar singers are often invited to sing in praise of legendary or real heroes or heroines, or of revolutionary exploits. People would gather either in pagodas to worship, or in public parks to contemplate the natural beauty. In urban centers, People, in their Sunday best, stroll around public gardens, and in parks, visit splendid sites and historical monuments or see expositions. In the past three or four decades, Cambodian, urban people and countrymen alike, liked picnicking or visiting ancient temples, including Angkor Wat, during the New Year holidays. Ancestors Day Cambodians believe that although most living creatures are reincarnated at death, due to bad karma, some souls are not reincarnated but rather remain trapped in the spirit world. Each year, for fifteen days, these souls are released from the spirit world to search for their living relatives, meditate and repent. The fifteen-day observance of Prachum Benda, or Ancestors’ Day, is a time for living relatives to remember their ancestors and offer food to those unfortunate enough to have become trapped in the spirit world. Furthermore, it is an important opportunity for living relatives to meditate and pray to help reduce the bad karma of their ancestors, thus enabling the ancestors to become reincarnated and leave the torment and misery of the spirit world. Prachum Benda, better known colloquially as Pchum Ben, may be translated as “gathering together to make offerings” (prachum meaning “gathering together” and benda meaning “offering”). The observance usually begins in mid-September and lasts an entire lunar cycle, constituting the fifteen days that ancestral spirits are given to visit their living relatives. In the year 2003, the specific dates for its commencement and conclusion are September 11th and September 25th, respectively. Pchum Ben is the fifteenth and final day of the observance and consists of a large gathering of laity for festivities at the local Buddhist temple. Each day leading up to the fifteenth, however, is also important and special. Different families host services at the temple on each of the fourteen days prior to the final celebration. The days leading up to Pchum Ben are known as Kann Ben (kann meaning “hosting or holding”) and are numbered one through fourteen accordingly. Prior to the day a family or families are scheduled to host a Kann Ben, relatives and close family friends will go to the temple to make preparations. During the preparations, urns of ancestors, traditionally kept on temple grounds, are polished and brought to the viheara (the main chanting room). Also, the names of ancestors are recorded onto an invitation list. This is important because spirits cannot receive offerings unless they are first invited to do so by living relatives. In the evening, the host family and other participants will join the monks in the viheara for meditation and chanting. The monks will then pass on the Buddha’s teachings, as well as offer blessings and guidance to those present. Before sunrise on the morning of the Kann Ben, special food is prepared for the ancestral spirits to enjoy. Favorite dishes of various flavors and colors are offered. They range from the simple and traditional nom ansom (sticky rice wrapped in banana leaves with assorted fillings) to the more elaborate and rich amok (steamed fish fillet marinated in a complex mix of spices and herbs). As a gesture of kindness, the hosts also prepare bai ben (steamed sticky rice mixed with sesame seeds and then formed into balls) to be thrown into shaded areas about the temple grounds. This mixture is an offering to the hungry souls who have been forgotten or no longer have living relatives to make them offerings. Before noon on Kann Ben, candles and incense are lit and the various dishes are offered to the monks. The prepared list of names is then recited and burned. The reading and burning of the list is a ritual performed to alert and direct the wandering souls to the location of their families. It is an invitation for the ancestral spirits to join their living relatives as they commemorate life. After consuming the proffered meal, the monks continue to chant blessings, sprinkling (or showering) holy water onto the families and their visiting ancestral spirits. The Kann Ben is a time of remembrance and an opportunity to accumulate good karma on behalf of one’s ancestors. The rituals of Kann Ben continue for fourteen days. On the fifteenth day, the traditionally observed Pchum Ben, families in the local area gather to perform the same ritual of ancestral remembrance and offer an immense communal feast. This day is especially important because if any ancestors are unfortunate enough to have become Priad spirits, it is the only day that they may receive offerings of food and benefit from the good karma earned by their relatives. Priads are the most miserable of all souls due to their exceptional bad karma. Unlike other spirits, Priads fear light and can only receive prayers, food and be reunited with their living relatives during the darkest day of this lunar cycle, the day of Pchum Ben. Participating in the Pchum Ben, whether as a host or participant, is a very important aspect of Cambodian culture. It is a time of reunion and commemoration. It is a time to express love and appreciation for one’s ancestors. By offering food and good karma to those possibly trapped in the spirit world, living relatives help assuage their misery and guide them back into the cycle of reincarnation. After the ancestors are reincarnated, they have the opportunity to accumulate good karma on their own and look forward to attaining a peaceful inner spirit, which is the best blessing a living relative can wish for their ancestors.

National Anthem of CambodiaKhmer Lyrics Som pouk tepda rak sa moha khsath yeung Oy ben roung roeung doy chey monkol srey soursdey Yeung Khnom preah ang som chrok Krom molup preah Bar ro mey Ney preah Noropdey vong Khsat tra del sang preah sat thm­r Kroup Kraung dèn Khmer bor ann thkoeung thkann. Pra sath sé la kom bang kan dal prey Kuor oy sr­may noeuk d­l yuos sak Moha Nokor Cheat Khmer dauch Thmar kong vong n­y l­ar rung peung chom hor. Yeung sang Khim por pheap preng samnang robuos Kampuchea. Moha r­th koeut mien you ang veanh hey. Kroup vath aram lu tè so sap thoeur Sot doy am no rom lik koun poth sasna Chol yeung chea neak thioeur thiak smos smak tam bep donn ta Kong tè thévoda nùng chuoy chrom chrèng phkot phkang pra yoch oy Dol pra teah Khmer chea Moha Nokor English translation Heaven protects our King And gives him happiness and glory To reign over our souls and our destinies, The one being, heir of the Sovereign builders, Guiding the proud old Kingdom. Temples are asleep in the forest, Remembering the splendour of Moha Nokor. Like a rock the Khmer race is eternal. Let us trust in the fate of Cambodia, The empire which challenges the ages. Songs rise up from the pagodas To the glory of holy Buddhist faith. Let us be faithful to our ancestors’ belief. Thus heaven will lavish its bounty Towards the ancient Khmer country, the Moha Nokor. French Translation Que le ciel protège notre Roi Et lui dispense le bonheur et la gloire. Qu’il règne sur nos cœ urs et sur nos destinées, Celui qui, héritier des Souverains bâtisseurs, Gouverne le fier et vieux Royaume. Les temples dorment dans la forêt, Rappelant la grandeur du Moha Nokor. Comme le roc, la race khmère est éternelle, Ayons cofiance dans le sort du Campuchéa, L’Empire qui défie les années. Les chants montent dans le pagodes A la gloire de la Sainte foi Bouddhique. Soyons fidèles aux croyances de nos pères. Ainsi le ciel prodiguera-t-il tous ses bienfaits Au vieux pays khmer, le Moha Nokor

Traditional Khmer Wedding A Khmer man cannot simply take a wife without going through the proper customary procedures. Traditionally, one has to go through four rituals to claim a wife. First, Pithy Chechouv requires the help of a respectable woman, a matchmaker of sort (usually an elderly person) who would go to make the first ‘inquiry’ (to seek information) from the mother of the girl in question. Provided that she gets an affirmative response, the matchmaker would inquire for the birth details of the girl – usually the time, day, month and year of birth is required. This information, together with the man’s birth details, is then handed over to an Achar (a priest) who will see if indeed the couple’s birth details are compatible. If so, the man’s family would then send a Chhmay (Mediator) to make a formal proposal. This procedure is known as Pithy Sdei Dundoeung. This may sometimes require more than one visit and each time the mediator will call upon the girl’s family with some small gifts to establish a good relationship. If all goes well and the girl’s family accepts the marriage proposal, then the families would fix a date to perform the Pithy Si Slar Bangchoap Peak. The Si Slar Bangchoap Peak is a betel chewing ritual performed as testimony to the agreement of marriage. This ceremony has to be well arranged. Friends and relatives of the both parties are invited to witness the occasion and it is customary for the groom’s side to bring fruits and other forms of gifts in pairs to the bride’s house. Normally by this time, the groom’s family would have already established and agreed with the bride’s family on the amount of dowry necessary and bring it along to the ceremony at the bride’s house. Here the parents from both sides would ceremoniously chew and exchange betel leaves to seal their agreement to the marriage. During the ritual, the parents ask the groom to thank and serve the mediator and all the people who are there assist. The families then would decide on an auspicious date for the wedding ceremony. Wedding Ceremony-Day 1 The morning session: A mediator formally requests a meeting with the parents to ask for their authorization to build the wedding hall — known officially as “the hall of the areca flower”. He asks for a meadow for buffaloes to graze; a forest to provide firewood and a pond to draw water from. Everything can be done only with the authorization of the parents. Parents from both sides exchange Mloo Slar (betel nut wrapped in betel leaf) Afternoon session: The mediator and an Achar (a priest) ask for a meeting with the parents to request permission to prepare the rituals for entering the wedding hall including the beating of the gong and of the big drum to play music; dance and sing according to tradition. When the parents agree, they mention a chosen time and obey accordingly. Then they ask for permission to discuss the programs for the second and third day. Chewing Betel Ritual Wedding Ceremony-Day 2 Morning session: At 5.00a.m the Achar prepares a ritual to pray to the “Krong Pealie”, the Deity who takes care of the earth, to seek recognition for the groom to be accepted as a newcomer (family member) and offers best wishes and good luck. At 7.00a.m A woman mediator goes and meets the parents to customarily perform one more ritual of a formal marriage proposal; Two trust worthy ladies are assigned to look at the presents (dowry, etc..) to see if they are according to the parent’s wishes and they are given priority to decide on the wedding. The two ladies inspect the presents and report back to the parents. If the presents are in order, the ritual of the procession to the bride’s house takes place. This ritual is a representation of the determination to formalize the wedding. Then it is the time for offering “thang rorng” (square betel container used in the wedding ceremony) which symbolizes the betel chewing. Following which, they perform the ritual of offering food to the spirits of the ancestors to inform the ancestors of the date of the wedding and to seek their blessings. Afternoon session: At about 1 or 2 pm, it is the time for the groom’s procession to the areca-palm tree. This is the ritual of areca flower cutting, accompanied by the wedding music. Once the areca flowers are gathered, the groom’s procession returns to the wedding hall — “the hall of the areca flower”Preparation of hair-cutting ritual According to the Venerable Ly Sovy of the Langkar Pagoda in Phnom Penh, “Most parents nowadays allow the groom to do all customary rituals at the bride’s house to save time, but they have still to respect the Khmer traditional proceedings.” In the ritual of the “hair-cutting”, Achar Ly Sovy further explained, “The parents allow the groom to sit side by side with the bride, but do not permit him to sit on her right hand side, but he is allowed to sit on her left side and they should avoid touching each other and the ritual of the hair-cutting signifies the cleaning of the body generally since people in the past sport longer hair and appear untidy. Nowadays, the hair-cutting ritual is only symbolic and not true. Besides only their own family member can perform the symbolic ritual of the haircut, because they afraid someone else might murder the groom.” “If the rituals are related to happiness and prosperity from the gods such as offering food to the Krong Pealie, (Deity who takes care of the earth) and the hair-cutting, the parents authorize the salutation to face eastwards, but if it is related to monks, deceased ancestors or a living ancestor such as asking for the monks’ blessing and food offering to the ancestor spirits……etc, they must face south,” Venerable Ly Sovy explained. Hair Cutting Ritual – Venerable (Achar) seen here performing the symbolic ritual on a groom. Evening session:The ritual of “the monks’ blessing”. At midnight: The parents order the preparation of the ritual of “teeth staining” following after an ancient belief that a righteous woman should have stained teeth. The bride is made to chew Leak, a natural substance that produces a harmless dye that stains her teeth. This ritual is prepared only for the bride in order to grant righteousness and to wish her happiness. From hence, when she talks to people, her smooth voice makes her more charming and everyone likes her and there is no quarrelling with anybody. Also, the intention is to bring their daughter a greater understanding about life and its issues when she will also be living with others. The ritual of “teeth staining” also includes several other different small rituals. Final Ceremony -Day3 The ritual of the married couple’s greeting (Sampeah Phtum). This greeting ritual is a procession of the groom to the bride’s house. The couples go to the bride’s house to pray to deceased ancestors. They also both show their respect to the living grandparents and receive their blessings for a happy and joyful life. This ritual includes several different small rituals as well. “Three days after the wedding, the new couple must go to the pagoda to receive blessings from the monks,” concluded the elderly Achar Sovy. This “monks’ blessing” ritual is carried out first for the bride and then for the groom. The ritual of the “monks blessing” is when the parents allow the bride to sit in the middle section of the house, facing south, The groom is located at the side, but a little behind the bride’s seat, facing in the same direction. The ritual of “food offering to the ancestor sprit”, Presently, this ritual only takes place in the western parts of Takeo and Kampot provinces. Most parents still prefer to have these same ancient rituals. But in some other place in former times, parents allowed the bride to sit in the middle section, called Laveng Chan facing the south. When the ritual is finished for the bride, the groom is authorized to do the ritual in the side, called Laveng Chhieng, facing the same direction.

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