Chol Chnam Thmay, Khmer New Year festival

14/04/2024 16/04/2024 263 1

Chôl Chnam Thmay (or Chaul Chnam Thmay) is a New Year festival according to the traditional calendar of the Khmer people. “Chôl” means “Enter” and “Chnam Thmay” means “New Year”. Every year, the festival usually takes place around mid-April, including many traditional rituals and folk games.

Chol Chnam Thmay is the biggest festival of the year for Cambodians and more than 1.3 million Vietnamese Khmer people. The festival has many similarities with Laos' Bunpimay New Year, Thailand's Songkran New Year, or Myanmar's Thingyan New Year.

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The origin of the Chol Chnam Thmay festival is explained by a legend related to the story of religious transfer from Brahmanism to Buddhism, revolving around the battle of wits between the Great Brahma (Kabul Maha Prum) and the wise boy. Thom Ma Bal, a previous life of the Buddha.

The story goes that, once upon a time, there was a very smart boy named Thom Ma Bal. At the age of 7, he knew how to spread his knowledge to everyone. The people were very impressed and liked to listen to him preach. Rumors of Thommabal's intelligence soon spread to the upper world. The gods also came down to earth to listen to Thom Ma Bal's sermon. Therefore, the sermons of the god Kabul Maha Prum in the upper world are increasingly deserted.

God Kabul Maha Prum, who was very powerful in the upper world, now heard that there was someone superior to him on earth, so he was very angry. God called all the gods back and did not allow them to come down to earth to listen to sermons. At the same time, he tried to harm Thom Ma Bal. God asked three questions and forced Thom Ma Bal to answer within 7 days. The God made a covenant, if the boy could not answer, he must give his life to the God. On the contrary, the God will behead himself if Thom Ma Bal answers three questions correctly.

Thom Ma Bal thought day and night but still couldn't find the answer. On the sixth day, he wandered tired and disappointed, sat down to rest under a palm tree, and accidentally heard the solution from two eagles.

On time, the god Kabul Maha Prum, holding a golden sword, landed to meet Thom Ma Bal. He answered the god's question correctly. Losing, the god cut off his own head and committed suicide.

Before cutting, the god told his daughters to put his head on a golden tray and keep it in a tower on top of Prassume, because, if he let his head fall into the sea, the sea would dry up. If you put your head in the air, it won't rain, and if you put your head on the ground, the ground will be dry and no grass or trees will grow.

The god Kabul Maha Prum also did not forget to advise his daughters to take turns coming down to earth every year to protect the people on earth and bless a year of peace and good harvests.

From then on, every year, on the day the god Kabul Maha Prum cut off his head, the god's seven nymphs took turns descending to earth, carrying a tray of his head down Prassume mountain and then turning around the foot of the mountain three times in the opposite direction. Sunrise.

Khmer people consider that day as the first day of the new year.

MAIN HOLIDAYS

For Khmer people, April is the transition point between the dry season and the rainy season. At this time, the grass and trees become lush again and nature awakens to life. The change and awakening of nature is considered by Khmer people as the beginning of a new year. The organization of Chol Chnam Thmay Tet comes from the purpose of praying for the dry season to pass quickly so that a new crop can begin.

Because it has the meaning of welcoming the rainy season and new crops and is the biggest festival of the year, in the past, Chol Chnam Thmay Tet lasted from 10-15 days. In recent decades, in the trend of simplifying festivals in general, this festival only lasts 3 days (not to mention the preparation work for many days before).  

These three days are calculated according to the Cambodian Khmer calendar. The Khmer people, influenced by astronomy transmitted from India, counted the beginning of the year with two entrances: "Chôl" calculated according to the movement of the moon and marked the change with the symbol of the 12 symbolic beasts of zodiac animal in one period. “Chyear” is calculated according to the movement of the sun. “Chôl” is calculated in the fourth month of the solar calendar, while “Chnam” changes according to the full or waning moon.

PREPARE

On New Year's Eve, Khmer people prepare the most beautiful and clean outfits, and children get to buy new clothes. Houses are repaired, cleaned, and redecorated. Food and drinks are fully prepared for Tet days. In the past, Khmer people pounded rice, rubbed rice, and made cakes. Nowadays, they fully prepare rice, along with foods such as cakes, fruits, fish, meat, vegetables... all are ready. All daily work stopped, urban workers returned to their hometowns, everyone rested, and cattle roamed freely. People are excitedly taking care of Tet.

NEW YEAR'S Eve TIME

The time of New Year's Eve in the Khmer concept is not 0 hour 0 minute like New Year's Eve or Lunar New Year, but is based on the moment the fairy (one of the 7 fairies of God Kabul Maha Prum) descends to earth. This fairy was sent to earth to replace the god of the old year to take care of the people that year.  

To know the time of New Year's Eve, A Cha in the temples will hold a ceremony and notify people. A Cha is a former monk, has a high position in society and is always respected by the Khmer people.

On New Year's Eve, altars are placed in the most solemn places to welcome gods and ancestors. On the altar, Khmer people often display a tray of offerings including five candles, five incense sticks, five cups of green rice, a pair of coconuts, two glasses of water, fresh flowers and 11 types of fruit to welcome the gods and ancestors. fairy. Family members sit and solemnly worship in front of the altar, pray, hope and believe that they will be blessed in the new year.

FIRST DAY (CHOL SANGKRAN THMAY DAY)

The most important activity of the first day of the new year for Khmer people is the Maha Sangkran Procession. Everyone takes a bath, wears beautiful clothes, and goes to the temple. The procession takes place at a pre-selected auspicious time, regardless of morning or afternoon.

The calendar is placed in a gilded lacquered tray and placed on a palanquin to carry it around the main hall 3 solemn rounds, both as a celebration to welcome the new year and to wait for good or bad omens for the new year, depending on whether the procession is complete or not. , then enter the main hall for the ceremony. After that, everyone went to worship Buddha and chanted sutras to congratulate the new year. 

When celebrating the procession of the great calendar, some pagodas also organize a five-tone orchestra or a Chhay-dam dance group with the leader wearing a mask and holding a dancing stick to pave the way... Next is the Achar holding the offering tray on top. head. A person walking behind holds a yellow parasol to cover the person wearing the tray. Finally, there is a group of people holding incense and burning lamps. Old and young people line up in two and three rows, starting from the East, clockwise, going around the main hall, showing respect to the Buddha. After completing three rounds, the procession enters the main hall. The eldest monk received the Great Calendar, placed it on the altar, chanted sutras to welcome the god in charge of the new year and chanted prayers for peace. Families who do not participate in the Dai Lich procession at the temple can also perform the New Year's celebration at home...

The Khmer people's grand calendar procession has the same meaning as the New Year's Eve celebration during the Lunar New Year of the Vietnamese and many other ethnic groups, aiming to say goodbye to the bad luck of the old year, and to convey their wishes for new, lucky things. good luck and good fortune in the new year.

DAY 2 (WONBOF DAY)

The second day takes place the rice offering ceremony and sand mountain building ceremony.

During the rice offering ceremony  on weekdays, monks and monks carry alms bowls into Khmer villages to beg for alms in the mornings. But with Tet Chol Chnam Thmay, Khmer people in Phum Soc bring rice to the temple to offer to the monks and listen to the recitation of Buddhist scriptures.

The rice offering ceremony begins with chanting and sermons by the Acha monks, then the monks chant sutras, perform thanksgiving ceremonies for those who made the food and also bring the food to the souls of their loved ones. dying. After that, the monks enjoy the food and chant prayers to bless the donors and pray for the departed souls. It is a good traditional custom of the Khmer people maintained from generation to generation.

Sand mountain building ceremony:  This ceremony is held on the afternoon of the second day of Chol Chnam Thmay festival, to show the efforts and sincerity of the participants in building the sand mountain. Every grain of sand built up into a mountain will free a sinner in the world. Therefore, Khmer people are very enthusiastic about building sand mountains, hoping for Buddha's blessings.

Nowadays, building sand mountains is only held during the years the temple is under construction, sand brought by people will be used to build the temple. Some pagodas replace sand mountains with rice mountains. The amount of rice is used to provide food for monks or to support poor people.

DAY 3 (LONG SAK DAY)

On the third day of Chol Chnam Thmay, Khmer people conduct the Buddha statue bathing ceremony and the Requiem Ceremony.

The Buddha statue bathing ceremony  usually takes place in the afternoon. The Achas placed the Buddha statue in a large basin with fresh flowers and pure water embalmed with perfume. The Acha read the sutras, and the monks used flower branches dipped in fragrant water to bathe the Buddha statue. After the Buddha statue bathing ceremony at the temple, returning home, Khmer people continue the Buddha statue bathing ceremony at home.

The ritual aims to express gratitude to Buddha, wash away the misfortunes of the old year and welcome good luck in the new year.

Requiem ceremony:  After finishing the ceremony of bathing the Buddha statue and bathing the monks, everyone and the Achas gathered at the ossuary tower area to pray for the souls of the deceased monks and their relatives. sublimity.

Khmer people place a tray of offerings on a mat in front of the tower, burn incense and listen to monks chanting sutras. While reciting prayers, monks sprinkle fragrant water on believers and around the tower to spread happiness to them and their families.

The Requiem Ceremony is the final ritual ending the Khmer New Year Chol Chnam Thmay.

Source: https://special.nhandan.vn/Chaul-Chnam-Thmay/index.html

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