So today is the official day of the new year for my fellow Khmer, Thai, and Laos folks. This is another one of those times when I miss being at home and being with my family. My Parents are big Temple goers and its tradition for them to attend the many New Year events and festivities that are going on around this time back in my home town. Growing up, I would have a couple back to back performances each day for a couple of weeks straight. (Cambodian Classical and Folk Dancing) I miss those good ol' days.
I dream of having a daughter so that she would take part in the Cambodian ballet like I did when I was young. The experience opened my eyes to my people and the richness of my culture. I learned to appreciate the art that my ancestors worked hard in creating and my people fought to keep alive. Yes, it took time and dedication to learn all of these dances, but it was worth every sweat and sometimes, tear. The knowledge and confidence gained is priceless.
I know that there are a lot of events going on in the Long Beach area, also known as Cambodia Town. For some reason though, it just doesn't feel the same to me, being so far away from home and my Family. I must learn to embrace and enjoy.
Happy New Years! May this year and many years to come bring you nothing less than the best in health and happiness.
Showing posts with label cambodian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cambodian. Show all posts
April 13, 2011
October 9, 2010
Cambodian Festival - 'Pchum Ben'
"Hope you are enjoying Pchum Ben this weekend!" was what a fellow Khmer tweeter tweeted to me this morning. You would think that a nice message like this would better my day and bring a smile to my face, but it only made me sad. This is not her fault in any way and I really do appreciate the message (THANK YOU), but it just brought this sense of sadness to me.
WHY?
'Pchum Ben' is a Cambodian festival better known as 'Ancestors Day' or 'Festival of the Dead'. It is believed that during this time, the spirits of our ancestors walk the Earth looking to be fed by their family members and relatives who are still living. Since I was young, I would refer to this festival as the Cambodian Halloween. You can see how trick or treaters walking around asking for candy can correlate to dead ancestors waiting and wanting to be fed by their families. The festival would last about fifteen days in Cambodia and many traditions and rituals are practiced during this time. Though I cannot remember them all, I do recall getting up early to go to the temple with my Family to feed the Monks and to pray, just like how it is done during most Cambodian festivals. On this holiday in particular, we would also make offerings to our ancestors and remember them as we pray for them to continue their journey into reincarnation to better lives in the future. My Family would also take part in hosting the ceremonies (providing food to the Monks and guests who visit the temple on those days). My Mom never wanted any of our relatives to be considered "abandoned souls", which are the souls that do not have family members to remember them and make offerings to them. She always tells us that this is the most important holiday (festival) in the Cambodian traditions... and it is the one holiday that you must not forget or "skip".
Thinking about this festival makes me miss my Family back in Washington so much. Though my in laws here in California hold some traditions and believe in the same religion, I admit that it is not practiced within the household as it was back at home. Part of the reason is probably because my Parents are older and are closer to the Cambodian community... especially with the elders and the monks at our beloved temple in Tacoma. My Grandmother (who passed away in 2003 and is still to this day loved and missed) was a big part of the temple. So were my two wonderful Uncles who are no longer with us since last year (2009). One was actually the Vice President of the temple and the other was a well known Cambodian spokesperson in the Washington area (a lady from Georgia whom I met last week even knew and remembered him). My point is that my Family is very involved in the temple and these festivals, and its times like these when I miss my Family so much.
Knowing that the festival was around the corner, I cried to myself last week... thinking and praying to my loved ones who are no longer living. I wished that I was back at home with the rest of the Family praying and making offerings to them like I should be. Its hard to do it here in California when I don't know anyone who still practices these traditions and take part in the festivals. I did go to the temple with my Mother in Law, however, to pray and make offerings to my ancestors. But I still felt like something was missing. I missed seeing my Parents up early in the morning running around trying to prepare everything that they needed to for the temple. I miss seeing all of my many relatives in the temple with their palms together praying to all of our late relatives... together. I miss being in the temple that I have known all my life and grown so used to. I also miss seeing the smiling pictures of my relatives along the walls of the temple. Everything about being with my Family during these times, I miss so much.
I confess, I have never appreciated these festivals and traditions before as much as I do now. Those times that you spend with your family members are so precious. We never know what tomorrow holds, so we have to cherish all the moments that we have with our loved ones because there is going to be a time when all we have left is the memories of the past.
I want my ancestors to know that I always miss and think of them and that they are always remembered.
With that said, like my fellow tweeter, I hope you are enjoying your Pchum Ben this weekend.
NOTE: Though I am ashamed, I must admit that I do not know all of the traditions, rituals, and history of this festival. I speak only of what I know and remember, and of course, my feelings.
Photos Courtesy of ki-media.blogspot.com
WHY?
'Pchum Ben' is a Cambodian festival better known as 'Ancestors Day' or 'Festival of the Dead'. It is believed that during this time, the spirits of our ancestors walk the Earth looking to be fed by their family members and relatives who are still living. Since I was young, I would refer to this festival as the Cambodian Halloween. You can see how trick or treaters walking around asking for candy can correlate to dead ancestors waiting and wanting to be fed by their families. The festival would last about fifteen days in Cambodia and many traditions and rituals are practiced during this time. Though I cannot remember them all, I do recall getting up early to go to the temple with my Family to feed the Monks and to pray, just like how it is done during most Cambodian festivals. On this holiday in particular, we would also make offerings to our ancestors and remember them as we pray for them to continue their journey into reincarnation to better lives in the future. My Family would also take part in hosting the ceremonies (providing food to the Monks and guests who visit the temple on those days). My Mom never wanted any of our relatives to be considered "abandoned souls", which are the souls that do not have family members to remember them and make offerings to them. She always tells us that this is the most important holiday (festival) in the Cambodian traditions... and it is the one holiday that you must not forget or "skip".
Thinking about this festival makes me miss my Family back in Washington so much. Though my in laws here in California hold some traditions and believe in the same religion, I admit that it is not practiced within the household as it was back at home. Part of the reason is probably because my Parents are older and are closer to the Cambodian community... especially with the elders and the monks at our beloved temple in Tacoma. My Grandmother (who passed away in 2003 and is still to this day loved and missed) was a big part of the temple. So were my two wonderful Uncles who are no longer with us since last year (2009). One was actually the Vice President of the temple and the other was a well known Cambodian spokesperson in the Washington area (a lady from Georgia whom I met last week even knew and remembered him). My point is that my Family is very involved in the temple and these festivals, and its times like these when I miss my Family so much.
Knowing that the festival was around the corner, I cried to myself last week... thinking and praying to my loved ones who are no longer living. I wished that I was back at home with the rest of the Family praying and making offerings to them like I should be. Its hard to do it here in California when I don't know anyone who still practices these traditions and take part in the festivals. I did go to the temple with my Mother in Law, however, to pray and make offerings to my ancestors. But I still felt like something was missing. I missed seeing my Parents up early in the morning running around trying to prepare everything that they needed to for the temple. I miss seeing all of my many relatives in the temple with their palms together praying to all of our late relatives... together. I miss being in the temple that I have known all my life and grown so used to. I also miss seeing the smiling pictures of my relatives along the walls of the temple. Everything about being with my Family during these times, I miss so much.
I confess, I have never appreciated these festivals and traditions before as much as I do now. Those times that you spend with your family members are so precious. We never know what tomorrow holds, so we have to cherish all the moments that we have with our loved ones because there is going to be a time when all we have left is the memories of the past.
I want my ancestors to know that I always miss and think of them and that they are always remembered.
With that said, like my fellow tweeter, I hope you are enjoying your Pchum Ben this weekend.
NOTE: Though I am ashamed, I must admit that I do not know all of the traditions, rituals, and history of this festival. I speak only of what I know and remember, and of course, my feelings.
Photos Courtesy of ki-media.blogspot.com
September 24, 2010
Tragedy in Seattle...
What a tragedy. What would drive a Mother so crazy to shoot her own Family?
I saw the headlines on Twitter yesterday saying that there was a shooting in West Seattle that left four people dead. My heart dropped reading the headline alone because its so close to home... I used to work in West Seattle for awhile. Although I don't live in Washington anymore, I still constantly read the news relating to it because it will always be home to me. This morning, I woke up and figured that there would be more information about the tragedy so of course, I followed up. I went to my reliable source,
King 5 News and it broke my heart to see faces that looked very familiar on the front page. Although I don't know the family personally, they just looked really familiar.
This story caught my attention because its
- so close to home
- Cambodian people involved (I care about all people, but I will admit that I pay closer attention to my own people... its the truth)
- family tragedy... always breaks my heart
- survivor's name is 'Thyda' as well... though the reporter pronounced her name as "thigh-duh"... ugh! *cringe*
(You can click on the link at the beginning of this post to see the article that I read)
My heart, thoughts, and prayers go out to this Family.
April 22, 2009
Rom Bot Hip Hop!!
LOL!! Okay so for the past half hour, I've been listening to this over and over. I don't care what they're saying (although its funny as hell), but with this beat, I can't sit still. Michael shared it with me earlier and if I go around singing this song, I'm going to kill him!!
I like the version that Nack and Bunthoeun did a couple years ago at the New Years' show. If I remember correctly, they were rapping/singing about durian. Maybe its better because they're my friends and in my opinion, they rock!
Rom nung kyom... rom bot hip hop!! (LOL)
Oh... and so the topic of Will Demps came up (damn.. he's foine!). I forgot how foine he was. I first fell in love with him while watching CRIBS. Ahhhh! It started on Ranny's status and then she posted these pictures of him... and oh my goodness! I was on the phone with Sam earlier and I couldn't stop talking about my Will! I sent him a picture of Will and he was like, "whatever... your man (Will) sucks". I think I just made him self conscious and he's gonna be at the gym every freakin' day now. Ooops?!?! LOL!
I like the version that Nack and Bunthoeun did a couple years ago at the New Years' show. If I remember correctly, they were rapping/singing about durian. Maybe its better because they're my friends and in my opinion, they rock!
Rom nung kyom... rom bot hip hop!! (LOL)
Oh... and so the topic of Will Demps came up (damn.. he's foine!). I forgot how foine he was. I first fell in love with him while watching CRIBS. Ahhhh! It started on Ranny's status and then she posted these pictures of him... and oh my goodness! I was on the phone with Sam earlier and I couldn't stop talking about my Will! I sent him a picture of Will and he was like, "whatever... your man (Will) sucks". I think I just made him self conscious and he's gonna be at the gym every freakin' day now. Ooops?!?! LOL!
April 19, 2009
Good Times (as usual)
So yesterday, I was supposed to go to the temple with my Parents. That didn't happen because they got a bit busy and I wasn't trying to go to the temple all by myself (loner status). Anyway... we (parents, sisters, nephews, and I) ended up meeting with the rest of the FAM at my Aunt and Uncle's house. My cousins (my Dad's older sister's sons) were throwing another New Years party at Jumbo. I wanted to go check it out, but when I called my other younger cousins, they were like, "DUDE... we went last weekend and called you, but you didn't answer". Oops... that was when Sovina was in town and I went out with the girls instead... haha. Anyway... none of them were going to go again... they were all Khmer partied out from the weekend before. My Sisters didn't want to go (not their thing... boo!) and my Brother wanted to go, but he had kids and a b*tchy wife to look after. BLAH. I text a few friends (the ones that go to Khmer parties anyway) and most were busy and others had already gone the week before. FACK!! SO... I wasn't planning on going at all.
Finally around 7:30pm, my old good friend from high school, Nary, text me and told me that she was calling into work and she'll see me at Jumbo! OH MY! I didn't even drive myself to my Aunt and Uncle's house so I couldn't leave Tacoma to go back home to meet up with her. She was such a doll and came to pick me up right away... brought me to my house to grab my things... then headed to her place to get ready. It was a lot of driving, but she didn't even complain one bit... she's still the same sweetheart I used to hang out with all the time back in high school. It was so nice to finally catch up with her. She still cracks me up and we spent a good amount of time reminiscing about the good ol' days. :D
So we finally got to the party (extra late). We managed to take a shot together and for some reason, we were pretty much DONE for the night. HAHA! There, I saw lots and lots of familiar faces which reminded me of why I love going to Khmer social gatherings such as these. I was followed by a guy with a Barney doll (kind of cute), but Nary was at my rescue the entire night!
Oh... and then Samphy remembered that last new years when I first met him, I practically told the entire club that it was his birthday and these random girls kept dancing with him and giving him lap dances. So... it was pay back time! He went up to my cousins who were throwing the party and told them that it was my birthday. Clearly, they don't know my birthday because they made a freakin' announcement and the crowd sang the birthday song and I stood there like a dumbass in the middle of the dance floor while people sang to me. I felt sort of special, but had to giggle to myself because my friends and I all knew damn well it wasn't my birthday. So then... all the older cousins came up to me and were like, "you didn't tell us its your birthday!" I'm like... "Bong... its not. HAHA!" They laughed and said its cool... at least everyone had a good time. You wouldn't believe how many random strangers came up to me to wish me a happy birthday. I didn't feel like explaining the truth to any of them, so I smiled charmingly and thanked them like I was 16 again! HAHA!
Overall, what a great night! I can't wait to bring Nary out with the rest of us girls during our future outtings. I am really really craving a reunion like it was a dulce de leche cheesecake! Ahhhhh! Ranns and I are going to work something out. :D
Myself and Nga... she's so grown up now!!
(and perfect day to get a pimple below your nose, Thyda! WTF)
Nary, Pov, Nga... and ME tryin' to jump in the picture! LOL
Samphy and I... and that one guy put his Barney doll in our picture! LOL
Let me explain: Gio NEVER dances and the other girls tried to get him to go dance ALL night.
They failed, but I got him up there with only the sweat I already had before I tried. LOL... love Gio!
Pimpin' out the boys... Gio and Samphy.
Damn... we look SO thuggish, ruggish, BONE!
Damn... they're hott, huh? Hubba hubba!
Finally around 7:30pm, my old good friend from high school, Nary, text me and told me that she was calling into work and she'll see me at Jumbo! OH MY! I didn't even drive myself to my Aunt and Uncle's house so I couldn't leave Tacoma to go back home to meet up with her. She was such a doll and came to pick me up right away... brought me to my house to grab my things... then headed to her place to get ready. It was a lot of driving, but she didn't even complain one bit... she's still the same sweetheart I used to hang out with all the time back in high school. It was so nice to finally catch up with her. She still cracks me up and we spent a good amount of time reminiscing about the good ol' days. :D
So we finally got to the party (extra late). We managed to take a shot together and for some reason, we were pretty much DONE for the night. HAHA! There, I saw lots and lots of familiar faces which reminded me of why I love going to Khmer social gatherings such as these. I was followed by a guy with a Barney doll (kind of cute), but Nary was at my rescue the entire night!
Oh... and then Samphy remembered that last new years when I first met him, I practically told the entire club that it was his birthday and these random girls kept dancing with him and giving him lap dances. So... it was pay back time! He went up to my cousins who were throwing the party and told them that it was my birthday. Clearly, they don't know my birthday because they made a freakin' announcement and the crowd sang the birthday song and I stood there like a dumbass in the middle of the dance floor while people sang to me. I felt sort of special, but had to giggle to myself because my friends and I all knew damn well it wasn't my birthday. So then... all the older cousins came up to me and were like, "you didn't tell us its your birthday!" I'm like... "Bong... its not. HAHA!" They laughed and said its cool... at least everyone had a good time. You wouldn't believe how many random strangers came up to me to wish me a happy birthday. I didn't feel like explaining the truth to any of them, so I smiled charmingly and thanked them like I was 16 again! HAHA!
Overall, what a great night! I can't wait to bring Nary out with the rest of us girls during our future outtings. I am really really craving a reunion like it was a dulce de leche cheesecake! Ahhhhh! Ranns and I are going to work something out. :D
Myself and Nga... she's so grown up now!!
(and perfect day to get a pimple below your nose, Thyda! WTF)
Nary, Pov, Nga... and ME tryin' to jump in the picture! LOL
Samphy and I... and that one guy put his Barney doll in our picture! LOL
Let me explain: Gio NEVER dances and the other girls tried to get him to go dance ALL night.
They failed, but I got him up there with only the sweat I already had before I tried. LOL... love Gio!
Pimpin' out the boys... Gio and Samphy.
Damn... we look SO thuggish, ruggish, BONE!
Damn... they're hott, huh? Hubba hubba!
April 9, 2009
Happy New Years...!
I'm really looking forward to celebrating the new year this month... especially this weekend! So much to do all in one weekend that it had been extended all the way until Monday night/Tuesday morning! LOL!
Do Khmer people make New Years' resolutions? Just curious. I refuse to put my resolution in writing because I don't want to break anything. Its not that I don't want to follow through, but I'm just being realistic and honest to myself. We'll just see how it goes. :)
I have absolutely NOTHING to wear all weekend. Ahhhhhh!
I miss my Baby so much. He's so homesick and really wants to come home. Ahhhh... 7 more weeks, Baby! I can't wait to have him back on the west coast and be in the same time zone as him. LOL! I know it sounds lame, but it really does make things difficult. We're planning our trip for when I go see him in May... I'm so excited! Might be a pre-honeymoon! LOL! Need to work out logistics... thats for sure!
I really need a tan. You can see my paleness seeping through again. Fat looks better dark. :(
Do Khmer people make New Years' resolutions? Just curious. I refuse to put my resolution in writing because I don't want to break anything. Its not that I don't want to follow through, but I'm just being realistic and honest to myself. We'll just see how it goes. :)
I have absolutely NOTHING to wear all weekend. Ahhhhhh!
I miss my Baby so much. He's so homesick and really wants to come home. Ahhhh... 7 more weeks, Baby! I can't wait to have him back on the west coast and be in the same time zone as him. LOL! I know it sounds lame, but it really does make things difficult. We're planning our trip for when I go see him in May... I'm so excited! Might be a pre-honeymoon! LOL! Need to work out logistics... thats for sure!
I really need a tan. You can see my paleness seeping through again. Fat looks better dark. :(
March 26, 2009
Star Struck...
After my Uncle's funeral last weekend, my Sister and I drove down to California VERY early the next morning. She had already missed a week of work and couldn't afford to miss any more. I helped drive a good 4 hours out of 19! LOL! I don't think she really trusted me with her car, but even she admit that she needed a break. :D
We got in early the next morning and pretty much spent most of the day recuperating in bed. The next morning, I had to be at the airport by 5 something am since my plane was leaving to come home at 7am. Yes, it was a VERY short "trip", if that, but I didn't want to leave my Parents at home by themselves for too long after all that they've been through.
While waiting for my flight, I noticed Somaly Mam there! Of course my bold ass went up to her to say hello! Surprisingly, she had heard about me! I'm guessing its through Ranny since she recently met her in Cambodia and I was the one who suggested her foundation to Ranns when she was trying to figure out which charity to work for. Chit chatted with her for a little while... then she gave me her card and told me to contact her! Ahhh... I know she probably gives the card out to everyone she meets, but I still felt special! :D She's so sweet and even more inspiring in person!
Barely slept on my plane ride because JetBlue is the worst airline I've ever flown with... and I've flown on quite a bit of different airlines. Got to SeaTac airport and I heard someone yell out my name. It was Nara, her Mom, her Sister, and her niece (the one who has a love/hate relationship with me). They were flying to LB for a week and were just about to hop on the plane I just got off of. Hopefully their flight was better than mine. I'm going to believe that it was just the morning turbulence caused by the morning clouds? Haha... okay whatever.
Parents picked me up and since we were already there... we had some Dim Sum in the morning. Yum! It was nice to sit down and actually talk to my parents for the first time in weeks. They'd been so busy with much on their minds. Damn... I love them.
We got in early the next morning and pretty much spent most of the day recuperating in bed. The next morning, I had to be at the airport by 5 something am since my plane was leaving to come home at 7am. Yes, it was a VERY short "trip", if that, but I didn't want to leave my Parents at home by themselves for too long after all that they've been through.
While waiting for my flight, I noticed Somaly Mam there! Of course my bold ass went up to her to say hello! Surprisingly, she had heard about me! I'm guessing its through Ranny since she recently met her in Cambodia and I was the one who suggested her foundation to Ranns when she was trying to figure out which charity to work for. Chit chatted with her for a little while... then she gave me her card and told me to contact her! Ahhh... I know she probably gives the card out to everyone she meets, but I still felt special! :D She's so sweet and even more inspiring in person!
Barely slept on my plane ride because JetBlue is the worst airline I've ever flown with... and I've flown on quite a bit of different airlines. Got to SeaTac airport and I heard someone yell out my name. It was Nara, her Mom, her Sister, and her niece (the one who has a love/hate relationship with me). They were flying to LB for a week and were just about to hop on the plane I just got off of. Hopefully their flight was better than mine. I'm going to believe that it was just the morning turbulence caused by the morning clouds? Haha... okay whatever.
Parents picked me up and since we were already there... we had some Dim Sum in the morning. Yum! It was nice to sit down and actually talk to my parents for the first time in weeks. They'd been so busy with much on their minds. Damn... I love them.
February 25, 2009
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