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A COLLECTION OF CAMBODIAN FOLK TALES

2011-11-29T15:49:00.000+07:00

The Father who was strick in Choosing his Son-in-Law

Once there were an old man and woman who had a pretty daughter. They would never accept a boy to marry their daughter if the boy called someone names. One day, a smart, handsome boy went to ask for their daughter in marriage. They said " Yes! we accept you but must abstain from calling anyone names and serve us as we order you. If you can't abstain I won't give my daughter to you. I have to tell you first because I do not want you to think later on that I am very severe and wicked. "

The boy said " Yes! I can abstain from calling anyone names and do everything for you as you order. " The father told him " If you can abstain from calling anyone names, you had better go home, but you must come back in the morning early. " The boy said good bye to him and came back home. In the morning, the boy came to serve his future parents-in-law. The father told his daughter to give him some food to eat, then he told him " Son! you go plowing in the field and plow until a stone near the field cries. When you hear the sound of the stone crying you take the yoke off the oxen. "

The boy yoked the oxen and went plowing from dawn until afternoon. But the stone did not cry. The oxen could not pull the plow and the stone was still quiet. The boy was very hungry. He could not work without eating anything, so he called the stone names " Mother stone! why don't you cry? " The boy called the stone names and the father appeared from the bush near the stone. He told the boy " I break your betrothal with my daughter, because you can't abstain from calling the stone names. " The boy took off the yoke from the oxen and went home sorrowfully.

Later there was another boy who came to ask for the hand of daughter and the father ordered him as he did the first boy. But this boy was not handsome. He was very clever. When his father-in-law asked him to plow the field, he brought some food with him to eat. He worked until he was hungry, then he stopped for a while to eat and kept working until afternoon. The oxen could no longer walk. When he directed the plow near the stone, he talked to the oxen " Oh, stone! Please cry! The oxen can not pull the plow! Take pity on the oxen! For myself, I do not care! I have some food to eat, and I can plow until night! If you do not have pity on me, please have pity on the oxen because they are animals"

That boy begged the stone, but the stone still did not cry. He did not call the stone names because he knew that his father-in-law was hiding behind the stone. He begged many times for the stone to cry until the father saw his oxen so tired. The father had pity on his oxen, then he cried behind the stone to mimic the sound of the stone. The boy let the oxen to pasture in the field and came back to his future father-in-law. The father asked his daughter to prepare food for him. That night the father told him to go to his house and come back in the morning. The boy said " Good bye " to the family and went home.

At night, when the future parents-in-law went to bed, the boy came stealthily and hid under their house to listen to what plan they made. The father went to bed with his wife and made plans

" Hi dear! That boy can abstain from calling the stone names, but he is not handsome, so we had better make plans to make him angry, then he won't abstain from calling someone names " His wife said " It is very easy to find out his mistakes. Tomorrow you hid in one sack and I will put some rice in the other sack, In the morning when that boy comes, I will tell him to carry them on his shoulder for you, who will have gone to cut wood at the top of the mountain.

He will not able to carry them because they are so heavy. So he will be angry and then he will call them names. As you are in the sack you will hear very well. When you come back we will break him with our daughter. " The husband and wife made this plan and slept. The boy who was hiding under their house already knew their plans and went back home. In the morning, the boy came to serve his future parents. His future mother-in-law showed him two sacks and told him " Son! Your father has gone to cut some wood at the top of the mountain. He wanted me to tell you to carry these two sacks for him and to cook for him. Do not be late. "

The boy carried the two sacks near the foot of the mountain, but they were too heavy for him to go up the mountain. Some distance from home, he dropped them on the ground and said " Oh, father! I am hungry, I can not carry these sacks up the mountain. They are so heavy. Who can carry them up the mountain? If father has no pity on me, he will hit me, but I will submit to this punishment. " Then he carried them down and put them on the dry grass. He left them for a while. When he came back to these sacks he put the dry grass on fire around them. When the grass was burning the fire went to the sacks.

The father who was in the sack felt hot and moved the sack, because he was afraid that the fire would burn his sack, but he could not get out. That boy came running from somewhere and exclaimed " Gee! who burn my sacks? How can I come thought because the fire is burning around like this? " Then he stood outside of the fire and exclaimed until the fire was burning the father's sack. The boy jumped into the fire and dragged the sack from the fire. As the fire was burning the tie of the sack, the father appeared from the sack. His body was plotted, his hair was scorching.

The son coaxed him " Hi ! Father! Why didn't you tell your son! If I hadn't saved you from the fire maybe, the fire would have burnt you alive and mother would have been a widow. " The man was so angry, he could not say anything, then he went home without saying anything. He was weary, because his future son-in-law had dragged him from the fire and as well, the fire had burned his body and scorched his hairs. At home, he told the boy to go to his house and come again in the morning. The boy went back and came at night to hide under the house to listen to his parent's plans.

At night, his parents-in-law went to bed and made another plan. The husband asked his wife " How can I find the trick to break him off from our daughter? This boy is very clever, but we cannot give our daughter to him, because he is not fit for our daughter. Yesterday, he knew that I was in the sack, he swung that sack in which I was against the stone and set a fire to burn me alive. Now how can we make another plan? " The wife told him " Now I have a plan, tomorrow, you will pretend to be a master and tell him to be a dog. Then you and he go hunting tortoise in the bush. But you make him creep like a dog. If he cannot find the tortoise or cannot crawl after you, we will break off his engagement with our daughter. "

The husband agrees to her plan and said " It is fine! Tomorrow, I will do as you say " They slept. The boy under their home knew their plans and went home and bought some tortoise. He put all the tortoise in the bush everywhere, then he went back home to sleep. At dawn, he went to serve his future parents-in-law. They asked their daughter to give him some food to eat and said to him " Son! Today I want to hunt tortoise, but we do have any dog. Now you are a dog, I am your master and we will go hunting some tortoise for dinner. " The boy said cheerfully " Yes! "

The father carried the food and water. The boy crawled after him. When they arrived in the bush where the boy tied the tortoise, the dog boy ran in front of him and barked for tortoise. The father ran towards the place where his dog was barking. He saw his dog bring a tortoise in his mouth. He caught seven tortoises. At the afternoon, the father was hungry, sat down and ate lunch. His dog crawled looking at him. His master did not give him anything to eat, so the dog saw a herd of oxen near by and he ran and bit them.

When the oxen came into the field and ate the vegetation, the father ran towards the herd of oxen and called them off from the field. The dog returned to eat all the food and ran away. The father did not have anything to eat, so he was very hungry, because the dog had eaten up his food. He was very angry with his dog. He beat his dog, but the dog ran so fast, he could not beat him anymore. The father was very hungry, his home was very far away, he was too weary to walk home. He did not punish his dog because this was the way of the dog.

They arrived home together. After dinner, he told his future son-in-law to go home and come again in the morning. At night the boy came and stayed under the house to listen to their plans for the next day. At night, the parents-in-law went to bed. The husband told his wife that his son had maltreated him and asked for another plan from her. His wife answered " Today, you are his master, now it is your turn to be a dog and make him your master. Tomorrow, you and he go hunting tortoise again. " They slept. The boy under their house knew everything and went back home.

In the morning, the boy came to serve them. His father asked his daughter to give some food, then he told him " Yesterday you were my dog, today I am your dog and you are my master to go hunting tortoises again. " " Yes! " the boy answered and they left home together. The dog, his father, crawled after him. Some distance from home, the boy walked at full speed, because he did not want his dog father walking near him. His father could not crawl well, because he was too old, and he stopped after him.

The boy looked back at him " Dog! Do not waste the food! Work for me! Why don't you run before me! Don't walk after the master! How can you find the tortoise? " His father could not run in the bush and could not find tortoises. The boy beat him almost to death. The father crawled wearily, but he did not say anything, because he was ashamed before his son. In the afternoon, the boy ate food and gave some fish bones to his father to eat and said to his dog father " I never saw a dog like you run after the master, how can the dog run after the master and catch tortoise? I don't waste food on you! Eat the fish bones! "

His father could not eat bones, because he was toothless. He was so hungry, that he crawled looking at him eating food until he had finished. His son beat him with a stick and told him to crawl home.

His father was very tired. He could not crawl, so he walked after his son. His son told his mother-in-law " Mother! I did not catch any tortoise because this is not a good dog. " His father was very hungry. He told his son to go home and come back in the morning. He went home and came at night to listen to their plans under the house.

At night when the old ones went to bed, the husband told his wife about how his son had maltreated him and not given him any food to eat. His wife said " So, give our daughter to him, we can't break him from her. This boy is so clever, he know all our plans. He maltreated you almost to death. Why are you not afraid of death? " The husband said " I don't want to give our daughter to him because he is not handsome, and he is not fit for our daughter. When we played tricks with him, he was never angry, he did not call anyone names. So can you make another plan to break him from our daughter? "

His wife told him " Yes! Now in the earliest morning you wash your face eat and smoke, then you get in the sack again and I will put some rice in another sack. In the morning he will come and I will tell him that you are going to the town to buy something. " She added " I will tell him to carry these sacks at lunch time. Perhaps, he cannot carry them, because they are heavy and it is a long way. If he cannot get there on time we will break him from our daughter. " After making the plans, they went to bed. And the boy who was under their house, knew their plans and went back home.

In the morning, the boy came to serve them again. His future mother-in-law asked her daughter to give him some food. After breakfast, his mother gave two sacks to the boy to carry to the town for her husband as they had planned the night before. The boy carry the two sacks on the way to town, thinking " This time, I will terribly maltreat my father-in-law until he cannot play another trick and will have to give his daughter to me. " He carried the two sacks on his shoulder, about half way from home to town, he dropped them down and put them near the edge of the bridge, strongly tying the sack in which his father was.

He said " Oh, it is too late. My father will call me names. I cannot carry the sacks on my shoulder, because they are so heavy. I cannot not be there on time. If my father will call me names, I will not care. I had better put them here and go somewhere for rest, then I will carry them on. " For a while he took a stick as long as an elephant's leg and stepped on the bridge. The sound was like an elephant's walk. He went across the bridge and said " Who put two sacks on this bridge? My elephant will step on them. Please move them. " he warned and stepped toward the sacks.

The father in the sack thought it was an elephant and afraid of death, he moved the sack away from the "elephant" over the bridge and fell down into the water. His father's nose was full of water. His son saw his father's sack fall into the water, but pretended not to see, because he wanted his father to drink some water in the sack and wanted him not to make another plan. Then exclaimed fearfully " Who rides the elephant to kick my sack into the water? oh, my rice will be spoiled! oh, my father may call me names, the sun is high, my rice is spoiled. "

The boy saw his father struggling in the sack " Oh, there are some fish come beating in my sack, I had better lift it. " Then the boy lifted it to land and said " If it gets wet, I have to dry it, then I will carry it back for my mother to make cake for my father. " When he untied the sack, he exclaimed sorrowfully " Oh, father! Why didn't you tell your son. If I had not lifted you, perhaps, you would have died. Some one has ridden from somewhere and he let his elephant kick you into the water. "

The father heard, stood up and went back home silently. He arrived home, could not find another plan, so he prepared the wedding for his daughter and the clever boy.

Chan Chak Smok

There was a man called CHAU CHAK SMOK whose name means the man who weaves boxes with palm leaves. One day he went to weave boxes at the top of the palm tree. He cut strips of the leaves and then he planned to make the boxes. While he wove the boxes, he thought " When I make a lot of boxes, I will sell them to the store, then I shall buy a hen. Later the hen will give chickens, then I will sell the chickens. So I will get five hundred riels. With, this, I will buy a pig.

When the pig has young ones, I will sell them, I will thus earn two hundred riels, then I will buy a colt. When I sell it, I will make a lot of money, about two or three hundred riels, then I will buy fields and cultivate them. When the field crops, I will sell them and I will have a good deal of money, then I will find a pretty girl to be my wife. Later I will became a rich man and I will buy slaves to toke care of my children. When my slaves cannot take care of my children I will hit them. "

While the man was daydreaming, he kicked at the palm leaves. The leaf was broken so the man fell, but he caught himself under the palm leaves. When the wind blew, he swung like a swing, but he could not climb up to the top of the tree. Meanwhile, there was a man who rode on an elephant coming near the palm tree, then Chau Chak Smok asked the man for help " Please save me. Please take me down. I will serve you all my life. "

When the elephant-driver brought the elephant to the palm tree, he stood up on the elephant's back, his toes seemed to let the elephant go, so the elephant-driver was hanging under the man, then the elephant-driver begged the man not to let go of the palm leaf and he said " Please do not let go of the leaf and I will be your servant all my life. "

The man's hands were very weary, then he told the elephant-driver to let go of his legs, but the elephant-driver did not let go, and then he said again " If you do not let go of my legs, I will fall from the leaf and drop my body on your and kill you. " The elephant-driver begged the man to hold the leaf very strongly, and he said " I fear to let go and drop my body down. Please hold on. If you save my life, I will be your servant. "

While they spoke to each other, there were four bald men who came by that way, and brought a large net. When the men who swung under the palm branch saw them come by, they called for help, but they told the two men " How can we help you down, because you are swinging below each other " then they begged them to help and said " If you save us, we will serve you all our life. Please spread your net and tie it around your necks, and we will drop in the net. "

The four bald men spread the net in a square, then they said " Please drop one after one. " But the men did not drop one after one, they dropped at the same time into the net, so the four bald men were dragged to hit each other's heads and crushed their skulls.

When the two men were saved, they saw four bald men die, then they discussed with each other about burning them, but one said " If we burn them at the same time, some one will think that we killed the men, and the government will put us in jail. So we had better bury them, and we will pardon them, because they died for us. "

One Crow to Ten Crows

There were two men named Akhoch and Akhil who lived in two different villages, and had different opinions. Akhoch put manure in a jar and sealed it. And Akhil made a little sword and put it in a big scabbard. Akhil took his sword over his shoulder to sell, and Akhoch took his jar of " prahok " to sell too, Akhoch went from here and Akhil came from here, when they met each other, Akhoch called out " Come to buy my prahok! My prahok is delicious and boneless. You can make soup or eat it fresh. Come on and buy it! "

Akhil answered warmly " I am sorry, because I can't sell my sword, I don't have any money, could you exchange your prahok and my sword? " Suddenly Akhoch saw the long sword and said " yes! " Akhil gave the sword to Akhoch and spoke proudly " my sword is very sharp. I made it from magnet. Don't open it unless you need it. You can't open it now, because if you open it on the way home, you could not put it in, and you will be blinded. I am very sorry to sell it. If I weren't starving, I would not have sold it to you.

Akhoch gave the jar to Akhil and told him " My prahok is it very delicious. You can open it when you eat it. Don't open it right now, because it will be spoilt. I want to tell you how to eat it. If you want to eat it at the same time that you open it. This is very delicious. " They went back home. When Akhoch arrived home, he told his wife " Cook soon! I have some prahok " His wife asked him " Where did you get " " I got it from Akhil. I exchanged my little sword with Akhil for this prahok. " said Akhoch.

His wife was very happy and thought " my husband knows how to trade a little sword for delicious prahok. " Then she washed a dish to put the prahok in, and she opened the jar with a blunt knife, and then she put her hand in the jar to take out the prahok and put it in the dish to steam it. The manure was on her fingers, then she put them in her mouth to taste it and said " wow! the prahok stinks like manure! Come and taste it. " When her husband tasted it, he said sourly " It is manure! " She vomited and offended her husband.

When Akhil arrive home, he told his wife " One jar of manure can be exchanged for a long sword " Meanwhile, when a dog urinated on the flowers, Akhil threw the sword at the dog to stay him with the sharp sword. When he opened it, he saw the sword was too short, then he came into the house to show his lovely wife, and then they laughed. Finally Akhil told his wife " Akhoch is clever as I am. I want him to be my friend and I will play tricks on people with him. " Akhoch went back to see Akhil and he met him on the way.

When Akhoch saw Akhil reach him, he smiled widely " Where are you going? " " I come to see you and ask you to be my friend " said Akhil. " I come to ask you to be my friend too. " said Akhoch. Then they went to a rich man's house. The rich man had just died and was in the coffin to be burned. All the rich man's family wept. Akhil and Akhoch asked the neighbors " Why do they weep? " The neighbors told them " The rich man has died! "

The two friend then planned to write a false letter to show the rich man's family and to tell them that the rich man gave this letter to one of them before he had died, to come to take his goods. One of them went stealthily into the coffin, and the other took the false letter to the rich man's family. None in the rich man's family saw the one who crept stealthily into the coffin, because all the laymen pored over prayer book to pray and the entire family was grieving. Akhoch took the false letter to show them.

They read " The poor boy, called Akhoch, is my foster-son, now I am old. Oh, son! Come to take the goods. " The members of the rich man's family did not agree with him, because the letter has no signature and stamp. Akhoch told them " Please ask your father who is in the coffin. If he does not talk, I am playing tricks on you. " The rich man's son called his father in the coffin. Akhil who was in the coffin answered " Did you give a letter to your son to take the good? " the son said.

" Yes! I did. Load my goods in a big cart and give it to him. " said Akhil. The son was duped by the tricks of Akhil and Akhoch, then they were very angry with their strange father who died and talked. They wanted to open the coffin, but the relatives said that if someone saw the corpse, the corpse would frighten them at night, so they believe the relatives, and then they gave the goods to Akhoch. They pulled a big cart full of the goods and grieved because they were sorry for their goods.

Akhoch rode the cart full of the goods to his house. Akhil crept out of the coffin and ran to meet Akhoch and both thought " Now we have a lot of goods, but we are hungry. If we stop to cook, it may be that some thieves will come to rob our goods. Now Akhoch , wait for me here, I go to beg food for you. " Akhil went to a village to beg food. When he got some food he put poison in the food, because he wanted to kill Akhoch and take all the goods. When Akhil went to beg food from people, Akhoch set a trap to kill Akhil, because he wanted to own all the goods too.

That time Akhil ate some food and brought some food for Akhoch, but he put the poison in the food for Akhoch. When Akhil came from begging food, the trap killed him, then Akhoch saw Akhil die, he went straight to eat the food, and then he died too. After they died, the oxen pulled the cart with goods away and they broke off the yoke. The cart full of goods got stuck by the lake. In the morning, a man came and saw the cart, he was happy but afraid.

He thought " A poor person never has goods like this. If I take these goods home, it may be dangerous. " then he pulled the cart into the river and came back home. When the man reached home, he wanted to test his wife and he thought " If my wife is a good woman, I will take all the goods home. If I tell her something, she may tell someone and I will give all the goods to the government. I want only freedom. "

He told his wife " When I went to the restroom, one crow flew out from my anus, but you must not tell it to anyone. It is not good to tell about me. If anyone knows that and we cannot give the proof, I shall be spread on the cross or in the prison. " His wife went to tell someone that her husband went to the restroom, there two crow flew out from his anus and she said " Do not tell anyone. " One crow from the man's anus got out from mouth to mouth until it became ten crows.

When the king heard this story, he told his men to bring that man to him and then the king asked him " Is it true or not? "

The man told the king " Sir I told a lie to my wife, because I wanted to know whether she would tell it to somebody or not, I saw a cart full of goods. " The man told the king and pointed out that place where the cart was to the king. The king gave half of the goods to the man.

A COLLECTION OF CAMBODIAN FOLK TALES

2011-11-29T15:38:00.001+07:00

A Long Eel and A Long Cooking-Pot

Once there was a family, a husband and a wife. One day the husband went out for a walk and bought a long eel for his dinner. He thought " I will have a good dinner today. " He gave it to his wife and said " Cook some soup for dinner! " His wife look at the eel and wondered " Where could I find a cooking-pot long enough to cook this eel? "

She went to a shopkeeper and asked the man if he had a long cooking-pot. The man replied " I'm sorry, there is no long cooking-pot in my store. But if you want it, you had better wait for it, I will ask the potter to make a special pot for you. " So she returned home and told her husband " I could not find a long cooking-pot to make eel soup for you. "

* What?
* No cooking-pot long enough to put in your eel, and to cook it.

Her husband looked over his shoulder and said " If you can't cook it, you should hang it up on the wall. " He lay down on his bed, his right hand on his forehead and thought " How stupid my wife is! " Then he went into the kitchen to cook it and after finishing the work called her to eat the dinner. After the dinner her husband went out. When she was alone, she went into the kitchen and looked around to find out the long cooking-pot in which her husband had cooked the eel. For a long time she could not find it. But finally she found it.

- Hey! How could my husband cook it with the short cooking-pot?

She was very much surprised. She looked into the cooking-pot and finally saw that there was a little piece of eel at the bottom of the cooking-pot. She put her head into the cooking-pot to lick the little piece of eel. She cleaned the cooking-pot with her tongue and she hummed alone " It is so delicious! " When the pot was dried, she could not get her head out of the cooking-pot. She didn't know how to take the pot off and so she went to hide behind the granary.

The Fisherman and His Wife

There was a man who went fishing with his son in a river. When he dropped his fishing line into the river, it got tangled around the root of a tree, but the man thought that his fishing line caught a big fish, he could not lift the line, then he told his son to go home and tell his wife to quarrel with the family and the neighbors, because he did not want his relatives to ask for some fish. Then his son went to his house to tell his mother to provoke a quarrel.

She put on only a strip of cloth round her chest and a sampot under her navel and she pretended to be like a foolish woman, then she painted her face black, and then went to her relative's houses.

All her relatives saw her in a strange condition, so they asked her " Hi! why did you do this? why do you put black coal on your face? " Then she blamed them and called them names " Damned! are your heads heavy, when I paint my face black? What is that to you. Do I hurt you, when I paint my face black? "

All her relatives heard her calling them names and they were very angry with her, then they called her names in return. Some were very angry, they took her to the judge. The judge asked her to pay money to those whom she called names. After the fisherman had told his son to ask his wife to provoke a quarrel with his relatives, he dived to take the fish that the fishing line had caught.

When he dived into the water, his head was hurt by the tree which got tangled with the fishing line, his eyes began to bleed, then he fumbled around to find the fish, but he found only the root of the tree, then he got out of the water and put up his hands to shield his eyes, and finally he went to the place where he had took off his clothes. But while he dived into the water his clothes were blown away by the wind.

The fisherman felt very cold, his eyes pained him very much, and he wanted to go home but he could not go because he was naked, then he hid within a bush till night came. At night he crept in to his house, but he could not get into his house because it was lighted, then he called his wife to give him some cloth, after putting this on, he entered his house.

His wife told him that she gave as a fine all the money and goods to their relatives because she called them names. The two lost everything, the man did not catch the fish, his eyes were hurt, his clothes were gone, and his wife was fined by the judge.

Fours Liars

One there were four liars. They planned playing tricks on people. When they were all ready and agreed with one another, they left their house to go far away from their village. They met two persons, husband and wife, who worked by the river far away from anyone's home. The four liars knew that the two were rich, so they said " We must stop here and tell them a lie to cheat them of their goods.

And then they asked them " Oh! old ones! we come form far away. We seek someone who knows an ancient tale, because we want to know it. Now we meet you who, perhaps, can tell us an ancient tale. Could you tell us one? The two old ones told them " Oh, young ones! old ones have not heard any tale since they were children. Please young ones go to ask someone who knows one. "

The four liars told them " Oh, old ones! If someone knows an ancient tale, do you want to listen to it? " " Yes, young ones! We would like very much to listen to it, but we cannot find someone who is able to tell us an ancient tale " said the old ones.The four liars told them naughtily " We all know one because we heard it from our ancestors, but when we tell it to you, you must believe us. " Then the old ones said " We must believe

The first one began his lie, he said " When I was three months old in my mother's womb I scented, a ripe fruit in front of my house. That tree was about sixteen feet and it had only one fruit. My mother did not know how to pick the fruit to eat, when I thought that my mother wanted to eat it, I came out of her womb, then I climbed up the tree to pick up the fruit for her. Finally I got into her womb again. "

The second one said " When I was six months old in my mother's womb, my mother was very busy working in the field, so I came out of her abdomen. I worked with her, tending oxen and buffaloes, cooking for her in the morning. At night when there were nothing to do, I got into her womb again. "

The third one told them " I am a god coming down from heaven to be born in my mother's abdomen. When I come out from her womb, I go to serve her in every thing. I will get in her abdomen again before I die and I will be born young again. "

The fourth one said " When I came out from my mother's womb I practiced five commandments and waited for eight commandments very different from others. I can drink, smoke and kill, when I die, I will be born in heaven. "

The liars told the old ones these lies and asked them " All the tales that we told you are true. Do you believe us? " The old one answered " Yes, I believe all you said. " but the old ones know that the boy were liars.

When the liars could not play any more tricks on them, they asked the old ones to tell them some tales. But before the old ones had told them a tale, they asked them to promise to believe their tales as the four liars did.

The old man said " Oh, young ones, my children! Since I had planed cotton for five or six years, I made enough money to spend and to feed you. But this year, the cotton plants do not yield anything. I do not know why. One day as I went to my field, I saw a cotton plant as big as a palm tree with a fruit. I took the fruit home and when I stripped it, I saw four seeds each of which was a boy, I told my wife to feed them, when all the boys grew up, they went away from us. Now I see they have come back to live with us. You are those boys. "

The four liars were afraid and said " We do not believe this " But the old ones told them " If you do not believe this, you break your promise, so you must live with us and serve us as good sons should serve their parents. The four liars then became their servants.

The Hunter and The Bird

There was a hunter who had caught a black bird, a peacock and a heron. He taught them to play circus. He taught the black bird how to speak like men, and the peacock and the heron how to dance. When the hunter taught the tree birds skillfully, he took them to play circus for the king in his palace for gift and money from the king as he wanted. The king asked him " What do the tree birds know "

The hunter replied " This blackbird can speak like men " then he let the blackbird talk. The blackbird spoke, showed his knowledge in talking the human language, then he asked the peacock to dance for the king. The peacock danced as well as he was taught. The king was delighted to see the two birds and he told his men to put them in the cage to be in the care of servants.

Next the hunter took the heron off the cage and let him act for the king, but the heron was a clever bird and knew bad times and good times. He thought that the blackbird and the peacock who showed their skill to the king who was delighted at their acts, were put in the cage to be in the care of the king's servants. If I showed my skill to the king he would put me in the cage as he did the two birds.

Being always in the cage, I shall have no freedom and no happiness. So it is not good to show my dancing. Let me pretend to be ignorant. Then the heron did not dance and cried " krack! krack! " The hunter tried to make him dance, but the heron did not do anything, he just cried " krack! krack! " then the king saw that the heron did not know how to act, so he told the hunter to free him.

The hunter freed the heron as the king told him. When the heron was free from the hunter he flew up and talked to the peacock and the blackbird " Being clever and proud and making people amused you both, peacock and blackbird are in the cage. It is wonderful and happy for you, but for me, it is unhappy to be in the cage, so I did not show my knowledge, I pretended to be ignorant and I became hated by people, then they freed me, and now I will see my family whom I left.

You, peacock and blackbird, showed your skill which tied up your neck. I do not admire at all the skill which put you in the cage. Oh, poor birds, peacock and blackbird, you did not know what was good or not good for you in showing your skill, so you had better live in the cage for you can not go anywhere. " Thus the heron told them proudly and he flew away to his place. This story tells of the person who does not know how to use knowledge in good or bad conditions and has it tied around his neck.

Next

A COLLECTION OF CAMBODIAN FOLK TALES

2011-11-29T15:21:00.001+07:00

The Deer, The Crow and The Tortoise

There were three animals who were friends, a deer, a crow and a tortoise. One day the deer went to look for food in the forest and was caught in a hunting trap. When the tortoise and the crow went to search for the deer they saw him in the trap. They asked him " Why did you not see the trap? " Then the deer told them " Oh friends! I was wrong, please help me to save my life. "

The crow and the tortoise agreed to help the deer, then the crow took some water to soften the trap and the tortoise gnawed the trap. They gnawed the trap from evening to dawn, but they could not sever it, they could sever only two strings. When the hunter was coming, the the crow and the tortoise told the deer " Friend! now the hunter will come soon. We can gnaw only two strings. You must break it yourself. "

While the three animals spoke to one another the hunter came, then the crow and the tortoise left the deer alone. They entered the forest to wait for the deer. When the deer saw the hunter come near him, the deer broke the trap and went away into the forest. The hunter was very sorry to lose the deer then he ran after him to bring him back, but he could not run so fast, and then he saw the tortoise who hide in the forest.

The hunter brought the tortoise back and set the trap again.When the crow saw the hunter take the tortoise back, he told the deer a plan to save the tortoise from the hunter, then the crow said to the deer " Let the hunter run after you he will drop the tortoise down and then you must run into the forest. "The deer agreed. When the deer ran near the hunter, he pretended to have a broken leg, he ran on only three legs in front of the hunter.

The hunter did not know the deer's tricks, then he thought that the deer had a broken leg, because he was caught by the trap and he ran after the deer. When the deer looked back he saw that the hunter did not drop the tortoise yet, so he planned to be crippled animal again and ran slowly. The hunter thought " What good is this tortoise? He is enough for only two meals, but the deer will give me much meat. "

The hunter dropped the tortoise into the bush.The deer saw the hunter drop the tortoise, and he let the hunter get close to him. When he was far enough from the place where the hunter dropped the tortoise, the deer came back and picked up the tortoise with his mouth and the crow guided them into the forest. They lived in the forest peacefully.

The Hungry Liar

Once a boy lived with his mother who fed a pip, when the pip grew up, the boy wanted to eat it, he said " Mother! I want to eat pork. Mother, may I kill your pig to eat it? " The mother refused saying " No! why do you like to eat so much? keep him to sell. " When the boy heard his mother's refusal, he still wanted to eat pork day after day.

One day, the boy woke up and told his mother " Mother! God send me a dream last night of a place where there is a lot of gold. Mother! could you go with me to bring the gold? " The mother asked him " where is it? "; " If you go with me and do as I tell you, you will see the gold." said the boy.

The boy with his mother took a basket and went to the forest far away from home, then the covered a place with the basket and sat tightly an it and call his mother " Mother! come to help me to push the basket down on this place where there is a lot of gold. Mother! Keep on pushing it and wait for me while I run back home to get a hoe to dig for the gold. Mother ! Keep on pushing this basket, do not leave it. If you leave it, the gold may go away."

When the mother heard what her son told her. She pushed on the basket strongly and waited for him to come from home. The boy arrived at home, killed the pig and ask his friends to eat and drink happily. The mother waited for him in the forest for a long time. She did not see him come back and was very tired. Her hands and legs were weary, so her hands left the basket, then she looked in the basket, Nothing was in it.

When the mother knew that her son had played a trick on her, she came back home. She saw that her son had eaten up the pork with his friends and drank happily. She was very angry with him and told her brother " My son is very bad. I will not feed him any more. You must put him in the sack and throw him alive into the river " " What is wrong with you? Why do you want to kill your son? " said her brother.

She told him " He played a trick on me asking me to stay in the forest and to collect gold. I had waited for him a long time in the forest until I was hungry. When I came back home I saw that he with his friends had killed my pig and ate it. I had only one pig which I fed for sale. " Then her brother put the boy in the sack and brought him to the river.

When he arrived at the river, the boy said to his uncle " Oh my uncle! Please have pity on me. I will die so please go back home and bring my book of lies which I put on the self. When I die I will be reborn. If I do not have the art of lying how could I play a trick for food? I may die again. "

The uncle took pity on his nephew, and then he went back home to pick up the book for him. The uncle left him by the side of the river. At that time a leper came to the boy. On learning that there was a leper near by he said " To heal my leprosy I have been in this sack a long time, but I can't see for myself if it has been cured or not. But when I touch my body, it seems to have been cured. "

The leper heard that the boy was in the sack to treat the leprosy, so he asked the boy " Have you been cured? " The boy told him " Because I have been a leper, one put me a long time in this sack for being healed, but I do not know whether I have been healed or not. Please have pity on me to untie the sack. " The leper untied the sack to get the boy out.

The boy got out and brushed himself off and said " I am healed. ". The leper heard the boy say he had cured, then he asked the boy " May I cure my leprosy in your sack? " The boy was very happy and he thought " I won't die. I have this leper to die for me " The boy told the leper " If you want to heal very fast, you must not speak to him. " When the leper knew the boy's explanations, he got in the sack and told the boy to tie it up.

The boy tied the sack and went away from it. His uncle could not find the lying book, so he knew that his nephew told him a lie. His uncle was very angry and he thought " When I arrive at the river, I will throw him into the river ", so he walked with a stick. The boy wanted to be cured, so he kept silent. The uncle thought that it was his nephew and after the drubbing he threw him into the water.

When the boy went away form the leper, he met another liar who bathed. That liar saw the boy from afar, he dived for a while and then emerged " I dived to the bottom of the river, I saw people playing cards. I won and I got a lot money, but I could not take it with me. I brought only a little. " The boy heard and trust him, so he dived into the river to take the money from people.

When he dived, he hit his head on a tree in the water and it stared to bleed. Then he knew that man who told him was a liar too. The boy planned to get even with him and came out of the water " When I dived into the water to ask for the money from people as you have told me, I saw many people playing games, I won and got a lot money. When I asked for the money form them, they told me to ask you. If you do not believe me, look at my broken head. "

The liar knew that the boy was clever to lie against a liar. Finally the liar gave him some money and asked him to be brotherly so they could lie together from that day on.

The Two Neighbors

Once there were two neighbors. One day they planned to set traps to catch animals. As the sun was setting behind the mountain, they left together for the forest. In the forest, one said " I will set my trap near the foot of the tree, because this tree has many fruits, and at night, many animals come to eat the fruits. "

The other one said " I want to set my trap here too, but now if you set it near the foot of the tree, I will set mine on the top of the tree and we shall see tomorrow whose trap will catch the animals. " After discussion, one set his trap near the foot of the tree, and the other set his trap on the top of the tree, then they came back home.

But the man who set the trap on the top of the tree, after reaching home, that night, discussed this with his wife. He said " Of all our ancestors, did you ever hear if any one who set a trap on the top of the tree caught four-footed animals who walk on the earth? But right now if I have set my trap on the top of the tree, how will it catch an animal? Thus I will have to wake up very early, and if I see my neighbor's trap on the ground catching an animal, I shall take it off and put it in my trap at the top of the tree, and then I will again go with him to see the trap. Then I have to give a share of the animal to judge Sek. If my neighbor does not agree with me, he will go to judge Sek, too, and Mr. Sek will let me win.

The husband and wife, after discussion, went to bed, but the man woke up very early. He smoked and left his home to see his trap. He saw his friend's trap holding a deer and then he took off the deer and put it in his own trap. After that, he returned home. At dawn, the man who set the trap on the ground asked the other man to come and see their traps, but the other man said " Do not be in a hurry, my trap will not catch any animal because it is at the top of the tree. May be your trap is holding some animal, if your trap is holding some animal, you had better give me some meat to eat. "

He spoke proudly because he already knew what was there. The two men left their home together to see their traps. Unfortunately, the trap on the top of the tree was holding an animal. The man who had the trap in the tree said " Hi! Look! You did not believe me, I told you " Do not set the trap on the ground, set it on the tree " Now look! whose trap is holding the animal? " He climbed up the tree and took down the deer. The two neighbors came home together.

The man whose trap was on the tree went to see judge Sek and told him " I and my neighbor set trap. My friend set it on the ground, and I set it on the top of the tree. I took the deer caught in his trap. If the case comes to you, you have to cover over my fault and give the punishment to my friend.

Then judge Sek got a share of the deer and said " You have to bring a lot of betels and arecas very early for tomorrow when your friend comes to see me, I will ask him to bring the same thing. As he is very poor, he can not bring anything, so you will win the case. Go ahead to find the betel and arecas. "

The man who had set the trap on the ground was disappointed and did not agree with his friend about the catch. So he went to the judge Sek and told him the same way as his friend had told him. Mr. Sek said to him the same as he said to his friend.

In the morning the man who had set the trap on the tree brought a lot of things very early to Mr. Sek. But the poor man who had set the the trap on the ground could not bring anything to Mr. Sek. He was afraid of losing the case and of being in prison. He ran from village to village to find the betels and arecas.

He went and met another judge, Mr. Rabbit. Mr. Rabbit asked him " What is the matter that you are running about like this? Stop! " He said " Please help me because I and my friend went to set the trap together, but I put it on the ground and my friend's trap was on the tree. Unfortunately, my friend's trap, on the top of the tree, caught an animal. I did not believe this, so went to see the judge. The judge ordered me to bring the betels and arecas very early. The one who could not bring them to him will be punished. This is why I am very afraid. "

Judge Rabbit said " Do not be afraid, this afternoon we shall go together. " In the afternoon they went together to judge Sek's house. He said " Why are you so late? You lost your case. " Mr. Rabbit answered " We are very late because we went to see fish flying and eating the leaves at the top of of the tree. " Mr. Sek said " Who ever heard that, from the time of our ancestors? I have never heard that the fish fly and eat the top leaves of the tree. "

Mr. Rabbit answered " From the time of our ancestors, I have never heard that he who set the trap on the tree can catch an animal who is a quadruped. Do you hear it? Everyone of you, people? "

Mr. Sek was quiet. Mr. Rabbit convinced the court that the man who had the trap on the tree should go to the prison. Mr. Sek was ashamed before the people because of his ambition. He sat quietly and looked towards the wall.

" Ambition is put to shame before law."

A Dwarfish Dog

There was a man who fed a dog who could give him all kinds of service. One day the man went to work in the field, but before he left his house, he had told his wife to let the dog carry the food for him in the afternoon. In the afternoon, when his wife had finished cooking she tied the basket of food to the dog's neck and told him to carry it to his master.

The dog ran towards the field where his master worked, but when he was half way from home, there flowed a small river which was not shallow enough to be crossed by walking. And as there was no boat there, and the dog could not avoid it, he began to swim across the river, for it was mid-day and almost lunchtime. When the dog swam across the river, the food became soaked in water.

But he ran straight to his master. The master untied the basket from the neck of the dog and opened it. On seeing that the food was soaked in water, he was very angry with the dog and struck him with a stick. The dog was annoyed with his master and thought " I am very powerful, but the stick is much more powerful than I am. He hit me, so I had better pray to the god to change my body into a stick. Please change me into a stick! "

When the dog prayed to the god he came and changed the dog into a stick as he wished. The stick dog flew everywhere and hit everyone. All the people were annoyed with the stick-dog, then they asked the god to change the stick, so the god made fire to burn the stick-dog. When the stick-dog saw fire burning him, he thought that fire was much more powerful than the stick, then he begged the god to change him into fire.

The god changed the dog into fire as he wished. The fire-dog spread everywhere burnt everything. The world was very angry with the fire-dog, then they asked the god to weaken it. The god brought down rain to stop the power of the fire. The fire-dog thought that fire was not as powerful as rain, so he begged the god to change his body into rain.

The god changed the dog into rain as he wished. The rain-dog played havoc with agriculture. The world was very angry with rain, then they told the god to weaken the rain. The god brought wind to stop the rain. The rain-dog was over powered by the wind, then he begged the god to change him into wind. The god changed the dog into wind as he wished.

When the dog became wind, he blew every thing away, uprooted trees, destroyed boats, houses and kill many people. The world was very angry with the wind-dog and they asked the god to check wind. Then a hillock was put up before him. The wind-dog could destroy everything but could not destroy the hillock. The dog thought that the hillock was more powerful than he, then he asked the god to change him into a hillock. The god changed him into a hillock as he wished.

When the dog was made a hillock, the buffalo gored and destroyed him, then the dog begged the god to change him into a buffalo as he wished. When the dog became a buffalo, people could not use him, because he was very strong cord running through his nose. As the buffalo-dog could not break the cord he thought that the cord was more powerful than a buffalo, so he asked the god to change him into a cord. The god changed him into a cord as he wished.

The god changed the buffalo-dog into a cord but later there came a dwarfish dog near the cord and ate up the cord, because it was made of leather. When the cord-dog saw that a dwarfish dog was more powerful than he, then he asked the god to change him again into a dwarfish dog. The god changed the cord-dog into a dwarfish dog as the cord-dog wished.

The cord-dog became again a dwarfish dog that he had been in the past.

Next

Legend

2011-11-17T15:53:00.002+07:00

Go directly to school, Come directly back home

At a rural area, there lived a boy named Brok. His mother's name was Auntie Prong. She was a widow and lived with her son, Bork.

One morning, Bork said goodbye to his mother before goiing to school. "My Bork! Go directly to school and come directly back home," Auntie Prong advised her son. After listening to his mother's advice, Brok answered and walked away without caring to say "Yes, I konw, mom!". Not long, Brok almost arrived at a wooden bridge, which was built to cross a stream to a nearby village. Then he saw a man who was sitting and fishing alone.

As he got on the bridge, Brok saw a fisherman who got more and more from fishing. Brok stood watching unconsciously as the man put the fish into hos basket. Desire for fish, Bork wanted to make himself a fisherman like the man. While he was thinking about this, he heard the sound of the school bell, "Meung! Meung..." Suddenly he ran quickly toward the school.

Although he ran and walked very hard, the time did not wait for him. Finally, he arrived at the school gate. He walked, with his out-of-breath, and stood near a place, where sugar cane juice was sold. Brok looked at the door gate of his class of grade 3 "B" while he was listening to his female teacher calling students in the class to read the lesson. As he heard about this, he started to fell nervous because of coming late.

At the same time, Brok heard the sound "Pok...Pork...!" as well as the noise of laughing from the roof end of the house of a grocery seller opposite his school. "They are playing snooker," Brok thought. Without waiting for long, Brok crossed the road immediately. As he got there, he stood watching people playing snooker from one round to another without going anywhere. Brok stood there for a long time because he wanted not only to play the game, but also to wait for his schoolmates to go home so that he could mingle with them.

While he was watching the multicolored snooker balls rolling on the table, he heard the sound of the school bell again, telling him that it was 11 o'clock "Meung!,,Meung!..." Brok was happy as well as nervous as he looked at the students leaving school for home. Qickly Brok left the snooker's house and with his intention, he mingled with other students.

As he got to the cross road, Brok changed to his way home alone. On the way home, he picked the fruits wherever he found. On his half way home, Brok saw a tree with a lot of fruits near the road, on the corner of a watermelon plantation. He climbed into it very quickly. And then he fell down from the tree, "Prav...Kdouk...". "My husband, can you go and check what the sound is?" the wife of the plantation called her husband. "My wife, Brok, the son of Auntie Prong, falls from the tree!" the man told his wife. The man told his wife as he was going to the site to fetch the boy. When he took the boy to his cottage, he told his wife, "My wife,! Please go and inform Auntie Prong and I will take the boy to the commune hospital".

As soon as the man went on his ox cart taking the boy to hospital, Auntie Prong also arrived there. "Doctor, is my son's leg broken?" Auntie Prong asked the doctor in tears. "It's not broken, but there is a wound in his calf", said the doctor.

The doctor allowed the boy to be taken home due to light injury. After thanking the man, who was the plantation owner, Auntie Prong talked to her son, "I've already told you that go directly to school and come directly back home." "From now on, I will make a good son, "Said Brok.

The End

Animals

2011-11-17T11:28:00.000+07:00

FRUITS

2011-11-16T16:42:00.001+07:00

RELIGION

2011-11-16T16:12:00.003+07:00

Buddhism: The majority of people of Cambodia are followers of Theavada, or Hinayana, Buddhism.Buddhism was introduced to Cambodia between 13th and 14th centuries and was the state religion until 1975. The Theravada school is also called the "southern" school as it took the southern route from India. its place of origin, through South-East Asia - in this case Myanmar (Burma), Thailand, Laos and Cambodia - while the "northern school proceeded north into Nepal, Tibet, China, Korea, Mongolia, Vietnam and Japan. Because the southern school tried to preserve or limit the Buddhist doctrines to only those canons codified in the early Buddhist era, the northern school gave Theravada Buddhism the name Hinayana, meaning the "Lesser Vehicle". The norther school considered itself Mahayana, the "Grant Vehicle", because it built upon the earlier teachings, "expanding" the doctrine to respond more to the needs of lay people, or so it claimed. Theravada doctrine stresses the three principal aspects of existence: Tukha (suffering, unsatisfactory, disease), Anicha (impermanence, transience of all things) and annatto (no substantiation or no essential of reality, no permanent "soul"). These concepts, when "discovered"by Siddhartha Gautama in the 6th century BC, were in direct contrast to the Hindu belief in eternal, blissful Self, or Paramatman, hence Buddhism was originally a "heresy"against India's Brahmanic religion. Gautama, an Indian price turned ascetic, subjected himself to many years of severe austerities to arrive at this vision of the world and was given the title Buddha, "the Enlightened" or "the Awakened". Gautama Buddha spoke of four noblr truths, which had the power to liberate any human being who could realize them. Between 1975 to 1979 the vast majority of Cambodia's buddhist monks were murdered by the Khmer Rouge and virtually all of the country's more than 3,000 Wats were damaged or destroyed. In the late 1980s Buddhism was again made the state religion. At that time, Cambodia had about 6,000 monks, who by law had to be at least 60 years old. The age requirements have been relaxed and young monks are once again a normal sight, Hinduism, Islam, Caodaism and Christianity are also practices in Cambodia.

Next

Life of Buddha

BUDDHIST FLAG

2011-11-16T15:22:00.001+07:00

Buddhism shall be the State religion (Chapter III, article 43 of the institution of Kingdom of Cambodia). What does the Buddhist flag symbilize? What does each colour represent?

There are six colours on the flag:
1. Blue: signifying the concept of loving kindness and peace in Buddhism.
2. Yellow: signifying the Middle Path, that is, the complete absence of form and emptiness A mind free from greed, anger and ignorance.
3. Red: signifying achievement, wisdom, virtue, fortune and dignity.
4. White : signifying purity, emancipation, that the Dharma will always exist regardless of time or space.
5. Orange: The essence of Buddhism which is full of wisdom, strength and dignity.
6. The combination of these five colours symbolizes that it is the one and only Truth.

Num Banh Chok

2011-11-13T23:18:00.002+07:00

- Num Banh Chok Kampot: Rice Noodles Kampot Style

This simple dish, originated in Kampot province, but is appreciated nationwide. This is freestyle dining where all the ingredients are prepared and placed in the centre of the table in separate bowls and everyone helps themselves according to their taste.

Ingredients:
500g rice noodles
200g dried shrimps
4 cups coconut milk
2 cups ripe pineapple
2 cups bean sprouts
2 cups cucumber
2 cups chi

Sauce:

2 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp water
1 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp vinegar
2 cloves garlic, slices thinly
2 shallots, sliced thinly

How to cook:
Put the dried shrimps in water and while they soak prepare the fruit and vegetables.
Cut the pineapple into small chunks, julienne the cucumber, top and tail the bean sprouts and remove the chi from the stems.
Place each ingredient into a separate bowl.
Then drain the shrimps and pound coarsely in a clay mortar, before placing in a bowl.
Next warm the coconut milk and again place in a bowl.
Make the sauce by mixing the water, sugar, vinegar and fish sauce with the thinly sliced garlic and shallots,
Then arrange the cold rice noodles in the center of table with the smaller bowl around.
The dish is eaten by first taking noodles and coconut milk, and then adding others ingredients according to your taste.
The sauce is spooned on top of the noodle dish last of all.

- Num Banh Chok Nam Ya: Rice Noodles with Red Curry

Ingredients:

rice noodles
300g catfish
1tbsp Prahok
1/2 cup coconut cream
2 cups coconut milk
2 cups water

Kroeung:

30g lemon grass stalk. sliced thinly
1 tbsp galangal, cut small
1 tbsp rhizome, cut small
1tbsp turmeric, cut small
4 cloves garlic, crushed
2 shallots, crushedal and rhime
1 tbsp dried red chilli, soaked and chopped
1 tbsp salt
1tbsp sugar
1 tbsp fish sauce
6 kaffir lime leaves

How to cook

First make the Kroeung in a clay mortar. Pound the lemon grass stalk with the turmeric and when smooth add the galangal and rhizome.
Continue pounding then follow with the garlic and shallots. Finally add the dried red chilli and pound lightly. Let the Kroeung stand in the mortar.
In a pan boil the catfish in 2 cups of water. When cooked, remove the skin and bones, and crumble into flakes. Reserve the broth for later. Add the fish flakes to the mortar and pound with the Kroeung into a smooth and consistent texture.
Boil the coconut cream over a medium-low heat, and when it starts to bubble, stir in the Kroeung-fish mixture. Allow 5 minutes for the fish-Kroeung to blend with the coconut cream.
When well mixed, bring to the boil and season with salt, sugar and fish sauce.
Then take the fish broth and boil. Place the Prahok in a sieve and plunge into the boiling soup, then scrape with a spoon so the flesh flavors the soup. Discard the skin and bones.
Add the fish soup to the coconut curry and mix in the torn up kaffir lime leaves. Boil for 5 minutes then serve over rice noodles with lime slices, basil and bean sprouts on side.

INGREDIENT USED IN KHMER COOKING

2011-11-13T23:11:00.000+07:00

Galangal (Romdeng)

Kaffir Lime (Krauch soeuch)

Rice Paddy Herb (Ma-om)

Lemongrass (Kuel Skey)

Tamarind (Ampil khui)

Turmeric (Lamiet)

Water Spinach (Traw Kuon)

Sleuk angkeadei

Sleuk m'rum

**Ginger (Chnay)**

Chee van souy

Prolit

SYMBOL OF COLORS

2011-11-13T22:37:00.002+07:00

Yellow : It is the symbol of the luxury of the glory of success. It is also associated with infidelity and betrayal.

White : It is the symbol of the purity of the consolation, innocence, naivety and joy.

Orange : It is the symbol of the joy of the gaiety of the beauty of the size of the balance of the mind and senses.

Rose : It is the symbol of youth. Red: It is the symbol of the passion, courage, ambition, ardent and passionate love also the symbol of the anger and the voluntary temperament but.

Blue : This is the symbol of the air, the wisdom of love pure and Platonic, of the communion of souls, the elevation of the soul.

Purple : It is the symbol of peace, gentleness, generosity, humility.

Green : This is the emblem of the spring, the symbol of hope, joy, optimism.

LOTUS FLOWERS

2011-11-13T22:32:00.003+07:00

The lotus is rooted in deep mud and its stem grows through murky water. But the blossom rises above the muck and opens in the sun, beautiful and fragrant. In Buddhism, the lotus represents the true nature of beings.

In ponds and stretches of still water all over the country, lotus flowers bloom pink and white. They often grow naturally, but where there are no lotus, Khmers will plant them.
The pink ones (and not the white) will go eventually to seed, becoming the green pad that can be seen being hawked all over the country. The seeds are popped out one by one, peeled and the sweet flesh eaten.

- Lotus represents purity. It has a delicate perfume and a beautiful shape so people use the flower for religious and dedication purposes.
- Lotus represent everything we wish to express and become as good Buddhists.

- Lotus is the symbol of learning and cognitive thought.

In Buddhism, lotus flowers mean purity of speech, mind and body rising above the waters of desire and attachment. The lotus is one of the Eight Auspicious Symbols. Different colors of lotus are symbolically used to represent aspects of perfection. There are four colors, which are pink, blue, red and white. Red represents the heart--its purity, original nature, compassion, passion, love and other qualities. White symbolizes spiritual perfection and complete mental purity. Pink represents the Buddha and is the supreme lotus. Blue means wisdom, knowledge and victory over the senses.

Some types of Lotus

Scientific Name	Common Name	Colour of Blossom
Nelumbium ‘Alba Grandiflora’	Asiatic Lotus	White
Nelumbium ‘Angel Wings’	Sacred Lotus	White
Nelumbium ‘Baby Doll’	Baby Doll	White
Nelumbium ‘Carolina Queen’	Carolina Queen	Pink
Nelumbium ‘Charles Thomas’	Charles Thomas	Lavender
Nelumbium Lutea	American Yellow	Yellow
Nelumbium Momo Botan	Momo Botan	Deep rosey pink
Nelumbium ‘Mrs Perry D Slocum’	Mrs.Perry D.Slocum	Changeable bicolour
Nelumbium Nucifera	Sacred or Hindu Lotus	Rose pink
Nelumbium Nucifera ‘Alba Plena’	Shiroman Lotus	Cream white
Nelumbium Nucifera ‘Pekinensis Rubra’	Pekinensis Rubra	Carmine Red
Nelumbium Nucifera ‘Perry’s Giant Sunburst’	Perry's Giant Sunburst	White, Yellow
Nelumbium Nucifera ‘Shirokunshi’	Tulip Lotus	White
Nelumbium Nucifera var. rosea	Rose Lotus	Rose pink with yellow center
Nelumbium Roseum Plena	Double Rose Lotus	Deep rosey pink, yellow wing

Large pink lotus and large white lotus are common in Cambodia

Next

Cambodian Food

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Prahok Kties is a delicious staple dish of Cambodian cuisine. Prahok, which means fermented fish, is GOLD to Cambodian cuisine, and can take up different shapes of flavor, depending on the recipe. Prahok Kties is fried with pork taken from the belly sides of the hog, which accentuates the flavor, particularly with the amazing quality of pork (sakchru) that Cambodia produces. It leaves you with an amazing taste in your palates

Machu Kroung (soup), a healthy, fulfilling, flavorful sweet and sour soup that is incredibly wholesome. The fried peanuts accentuate the soup. The lemongrass (slak krai) and the saffron truly complement each other and to top it off, the decorative local grown chili flakes (matey) make this quite an appealing site to the eye. This is in fact more towards a curry than it is the soup that most foreigners thought it to be.

Korko, the hearty traditional gravy is truly quite delightful; its base ingredient is actually toasted rice pounded and turned into a tasty base and complimented by prahok, pork and pumpkin, which together add a delicious warmth and texture to the palate. Korko, is one of those great fusions of traditional ingredients cooked to perfection.

Morning glory (tra kuen), amongst one of the most treasured vegetables in Cambodia, with its richness in flavor and vitamins attributed to the rich soil which it is grown in. The delicious essence of the oyster sauce, truly compliments this delicious leafy and abundant vegetable.

Nom Ban Chok (Cambodian noodle), is one of the favorites for locals and tourists in Cambodia. The essence of curry combines beautifully with the noodles and the texture of the vegetables: morning glory, cucumber, sprouts, and string beans and to spice it up, add a little matey (chili). The look of it is quite appealing with the decorative prolot (lotus stem), which is a beauty of nature, attractive to the eye and fulfilling to the appetite.

Proheor: This delicious parade of flavors come together in this delicious soup, with yes, the most popular ingredient being the base, prahok. It is a soup that is a meal in itself, consisting of leafy vegetables, such as chili leaves and the exotic various herbs of the Cambodian Kingdom.

Nhoim Troyong Cheit is a delicious and refreshing salad complimented by the tasty banana flower (troyong cheit) accompanied by tasty chopped bits of nuts, onion, lemon and carrot. This dish can be prepared with pork or chicken depending on one's preference. Whatever it is, the Nhoim Troyong Cheit is incredibly refreshing and quite a festival in itself.

Nhoim Makak, is a delicious combination of dry shrimp, fish, fish sauce, chilli pepper and garlic and the Makak fruit all in one. The festivity of flavors in this mixed salad will awaken your senses. The kiwi-sized Makak (Otaheite Apple) has a pineapple-mango like flavor and crunchy texture that makes this a better preference over using the Mango for this salad.

Broher tropeang is a refreshing soup. Light, and crisp, the hearty flavor is awarded to the unique flavoring from the green leaves and bamboo shoots. Step into the wilder side by adding prahok, fresh river fish and even smoked fish with mushrooms to spice up the fragrance. For a bit more, the connoisseurs of modern day Cambodia favour a tad bit of chili flakes to give it that extra kick.

SGNOU CHRUK BONG KANG:
This is the specialty and delicacy soup that will awaken your palates beyond belief. The fresh water lobster being one of the most flavorful creatures in Cambodia due to the richness of water in the country, really reflects on this dish as it is complimented by lemongrass, basil leaves, lime, chili and the delicious freshness of mint. Refreshing and Warming at the same time

Next

Khmer Food

2011-11-12T21:53:00.002+07:00

Ovens are not part of the ordinary Cambodian Kitchen or small restaurent, for cooked food is either boiled, fired, or stir-fired. Cambodian food is never bland. Its range of spices includes chili, pepper, coriander leaf and root, lemon grass, basil, ginger, mint, cardamom, and screw pine. Sour soups are popular meat and fish are always served with sauces like shrimp paste, tamarind, or honey with chili. Fish sauce is the basic substitute for salt across the country. Spicy salads are a local specialty. They are made from raw prawns, mean, green papaya, field crab, or shopped raw meat, with chili and other spicies. Like the various noodle dishes, they are often sold at street side stalls for those who want a light meal. Cambodians have no food bias and are always willing to try any sort of meant, wild or domestic and most seafood.

A traditional meal before western influence introduced tables and chairs. Cambodian dined by sitting on the floor around a small, short table. Various curries and other dishes were set upon the table, lke cabbage and green bean skewered or fried meant, crab or fish. The hot, sour soup that is part of any full-course Cambodian meal was cooked in a clay pot that was placed in the center of the table. Rice was served in small bowls to each person, who then used spoons or chopsticks to select pieces of food from the other bowls. Each diner also had a separate soup bowl that he or she filled from the common pot. That ancient style of eating has no changed much, the only exception is that the food has been transferred to a taller table. Soup is still cooked in the center, if not in a clay pot then in a wheel-shaped pan. But throughout the countryside, the old way still exists.

Rice several months of hard labor go into providing Cambodia supper tables with their most important foot-rice Farmers have to break up the hard ground during the dry season of he year and plough it with the first drops of rain. Rice seedlings are firstly planted in one part of the field, where they grow while the farmer cultivates and prepares another part of the field in which the rice will be transplanted at the start of the heavy rain season. Weeds and pests attack the rice field crabs, mice and herons keep the farmers busy. After the rains comes the harvest, followed by the exhausting job of threshing, winnowing and milling the rice grains. Most Cambodian prefer the highly polished variety called Angkar Laar or "beautiful rice".

Next

KHMER GREETING

2011-11-11T16:55:00.001+07:00

Cambodians traditionally greets each other with a Sampeah. This is a pressing of the palms together as in prayer and bowing the head slightly. Younger people or people of less status usually initiate the greeting and the lower the bow and the higher the hands are held, the more respect is shown. Hand shaking has also been largely accepted in Cambodia. Restraint and courtesy are the focal points of Cambodian social relations. The language of both speech and gesture features these qualities. Even in the greeting one another, Cambodian indicate tatus for the type of greeting used depends on the rank of the person addressed. Gesture used by those of lower ranks automatically recognize the the status of the higher ranks. The most complex gestures are reserved for the royal family or Buddhist monks.

Those automatically given respect- that is, those who are recognized as of higher social rank-include patrons, employers, teacher, parents, grandparents and in general, anyone older. The superior returns a simpler greeting that acknowledges the respect given.

SAMPEAH POSSITION

1. Chest level : Friends or same-age persons
2. Mouth level : Bosses, older persons, higher ranking persons
3. Nose level : Parents, grandparents, teachers
4. Eyebrow level : King, monks, sacred objects
5. Above eyebrow level : Praying, Deva, Brahma, God

Place of Interest in Cambodia

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Phnom Penh - Capital of the Kingdom of Cambodia

Phnom Penh:The Capital of Cambodia was founded in 1431 by King Pohnea Yat after the sack of Angkor. Phnom Penh is conveniently located at the junction of four rivers, the upper Mekong, lower Mekong, the Tonle Sap and the Bassac, a location known to Cambodia as Chaktomuuk or the four faces.With favor of geography, Phnom Penh has main attractive sites touristic:

- Wat Phnom Penh Located on a hill twenty seven meters high, The original pagoda was built in 1373 to house four Buddha statues discovered by a women named "Penh".Shrines and other buildings have been put up and restored several times. There is an altar for Yeay Penh ("grandmother Penh") between the stupa and the Vihear. People from Phnom Penh consider her as a powerful protective spirit of the town and they will offer for her and request her help for any major decisions. The large stupa contains the ashes of King "Ponhea Yat" (1405-1476) and his royal family. Inside the stupa, there is a Buddha statue from the Angkorean period. Wat Phnom is the heart of city and the only one hill in city with biggest clock in Cambodia.

- Cambodia's Royal Palace

Cambodia's Royal Palace was built in 1866 under French protectorate and King Norodom to serve as the residence of the King of Cambodia, King's family and foreign dignitaries, and as a symbol of Cambodia. It is also in use as a place for religious and royal ceremonies (such as coronations and royal weddings) as well as a meeting place for guests of the King. The Royal Palace compound consist of several building, structures and gardens. Except teh area of the actual Royal residence, The Khemarin Palace, most of Palace grounds and silver Pagoda are open to he public every day, 7:30 - 11:00 and 2:00 - 5:00, with admission: $3.00/person, $2/camera, $5/video camera.

Throne Hall

Throne Hall The Throne Hall, the Preah Timeang Tevea Vinicchay “Sacred Seat of Judgment”, originally built in wood under King Norodom in 1869-1870,the present building constructed in 1917.

Chanchhaya Pavilion

The current Pavilion, also known as the 'Moonlight Pavilion', is the second incarnation of the Chanchhaya Pavilion, constructed in 1913-14 under King Sisowath to replace the earlier wooden pavilion built under King Norodom

Napoleon III Pavilion

It was originally built for Empress Eugenie of France, wife of Napoleon III, in 1869 for use in the inauguration of the Suez Canal. It is constructed entirely of iron. In 1876 Emperor Napoleon III made a gift of the building to King Norodom of Cambodia.

Khemarin Palace

Khemarin Palace The Royal residence. Closed to the public.

Hor Samran Phirun

Constructed in 1917. Currently housing a display of gifts from foreign heads of state.

Hor Samrith Phimean

Know as the "Bronze Palace", Constructed in 1917. Currently housing a display of royal regalia and costumes on the ground floor.

Phochani Pavilion

Built in 1912, the Pavilion is currently used for Royal receptions and meetings.

Damnak Chan

Original constructed in 1953 for the High Council of the Throne, as the Ministry of Culture in the 80s, housing the Supreme National Council of Cambodia from 1991-93, currently houses the administrative offices of the Royal Palace,Closed to the public.

Villa Kantha Bopha
Western-style villa named after King Sihanouk's late daughter Princess Kantha Bopha, built in 1956 as guest house for foreign guests. Closed to the public.

Silver Pagoda buildings

Wat Preah Keo Morokat

known as the "Silver Pagoda" the "Temple of the Emerald Buddha" and known as the 'Silver Pagoda' for the 5329 silver tiles that cover the floor. Each tile was handcrafted and weighs 1.125kg. The vihear serves less as a functioning temple than a repository for cultural and religious treasures, containing over 1650 precious objects. The primary Buddha, sitting on a gilded dais above all others in the temple, is the Emerald Buddha, reported by different sources to be made of emerald or baccarat crystal. In front of the Emerald Buddha stands Buddha Maitreya (Buddha of the Future,) a 90 kg golden standing Buddha encrusted with 2086 diamonds including a 25 caret diamond in the crown and a 20 caret diamond embedded in the chest. Other objects include a Buddha relic from Sri Lanka in a small gold and silver stupa, a collection of gifts from Queen Kossomak Nearyrith, and contributions and gifts from other nobles and Royals.The original pagoda, built in 1866 by King Norodom, was, for the most part, made of wood. In 1962, it was expanded by Sihanouk.

Ramayana Frescoes

The interior of the pagoda compound walls is covered with murals depicting stories from the Reamker, i.e. the Khmer version of the classic Indian epic, the Ramayana. Some sections of the murals are deteriorated and weather damaged. The murals were painted in 1903-1904 by a team of students working under the direction of artist Vichitre Chea and architect Oknha Tep Nimit Thneak. In the 30s the galleries served as ad hoc classrooms for Buddhist monks.

Dhammasala

Shrine containing Buddha footprints. Fortune tellers.

Keong Preah Bath

Shrine containing Buddha footprints. Fortune tellers.

Library

Small library next to the main vihear that houses sacred Buddhist texts (Buddha's Tripitaka, i.e. "Three Baskets") and also contains an image of a sacred bull named Nandin, and several Buddha statues. The Nandin statue is metal (primarily silver) and is said to be of ancient origin. The statue was found in Kandal province in 1983. Fortune tellers work inside the shrine. If you can find somebody to translate for you, you can have your future told for a small contribution.

Phnom Mondop

Phnom Mondop is a small artificial hill symbolizing Mount Kailassa, topped by a shrine containing a large Buddha footprint. The shrine is adorned with 108 Buddha images symbolizing the 108 past lives of Buddha. Fortune tellers work inside the shrine. If you can find somebody to translate for you, you can have your future told for a small contribution.

Statue of HM King Norodom

Equestrian statue of the King Norodom (1834-1904). Completed by French artist Eude in 1875 in Paris and placed on the pagoda grounds in 1892. The canopy was added by King Sihanouk in 1953 to honor King Norodom in light of Cambodia's new independence. The stupa north of the statue contains the ashes of King Norodom.

Stupa of HM King Ang Doung

Stupa containing the ashes of the King Ang Doung (1845-1860), founder of the current dynasty and the great-great-great grandfather to King Sihamoni. Constructed in 1908.

Stupa of HM King Norodom

Stupa containing the ashes of the King Norodom (1834-1904). Constructed in 1908..

Stupa of HM King Suramarit and HM Queen Kossomak

Stupa of the father and mother of former King Sihanouk (r: 1955-1960), grandfather and grandmother to King Sihamoni.

Stupa of Princess Kantha Bopha

The memorial sanctuary of the beloved daughter of the former King Sihanouk. Princess Kantha Bopha passed in 1952 at the age of four, succumbing to leukemia. The stupa was built in 1960.

Model of Angkor Wat

Model of Angkor Wat

Belfry

The bell is used to signal the opening and closing of the temple and for ceremonies.

- The National Museum

Designed by the French Georges Groslier and "Ecole des Arts Cambodgiens" and officially inaugurated in 1920, The National Museum of Phnom Penh has the responsibility to preserve and exhibit these treasures to the public. Its collections can be divided into four main categories: stone, metal, wood and ceramics. Despite damage, the works still possess important values relating to art, history and religion.The National Museum of Cambodia is located on Street 13 in central Phnom Penh, next to the Royal Palace. The visitor’s entrance to the compound and the admissions ticket booth are at the corner of Streets 13 and 178.

The National Museum is open to the public every day from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with Admission: $3 for foreign visitors, 500 riels for Cambodians. Children and school groups are free.

Emergency Contact in Cambodia

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Phnom Pehn

Police (24h) ....................................................................... 117

Traffic Police .......................................................... 012 896 628
Tourist Police ......................................................... 012 942 484

Fire(24h) ........................................................................ 118 or 012 786 693

Toul Sleng Fire Department ................................. 023 723 555

Ambulance & Hospitals (24hr)

Ambulance (S.A.M.U) ........................................... 023 723 555
Calmette Ambulance (S.A.M.U)

023 426 948
023 724 891
012 912 947
016 585 108
092 858 434

Sihanoukville

Police

Tourist Police .......................................................... 011 683307
Tourist Police (24h)................................................. 097 7780008

Ambulance & Hospital

The Sihanouk Ville Referral Hospital

012 738803
016 712646
081 886666

Siem Reap

Police

Tourist Center:

011 30 30 30
012 40 24 24
016 40 24 24

Festival and Holiday in Cambodia

2011-11-10T11:11:00.001+07:00

Cambodians are always celebrating a festival of some sort, and do so with relish heading out to a popular pagoda with family and friends or taking off for the provinces unsurprisingly, festivals are the busiest times for shopping and traveling.

The major celebration of the year is Bon Chol Chhnam Thmey, falling in mid-April, when families get together and houses are spring cleaned. It's an extremely busy time at the pagodas: the entrances are decorated with garlands of flowers and coconut fronds. Buddha statues are washed and draped in new robes, and groups of friends and families arrive to celebrate and picnic. Elaborate offerings of fruits, flowers, cakes, rice and drinks are prepared, the actual items changing according to the twelve-year cycle of Cambodian astrology (similar to the Chinese cycle of animal years).Cambodians also use Buddhist Era to count the year based on the Buddhist calendar. Reminders are even broadcast on the radio, so that everyone knows what to get. Khmer New Year consist of three days: Moha Songkran, Virak Wanabat and Thngey Leung Saka. For these three days, Cambodian play happily variety of games. Typically Khmer games help maintain one's mental and physical dexterity. The body's blood pressure, muscle system and brain all are challenged and strengthened in the name of fun.

Another important religious festival is Bonn Pchum Ben, also known as the Festival of the Dead or "Ancestors' Day,", occurring between mid-September and early October for 15 days. Traditionally, families are supposed to visit seven different pagodas to pay their respects to their ancestors or risk including their wrath. which will cause problems for the next year. People cook meals for monks, bring offerings to the temple and throw rice near the temple early in the morning, believing that the ghosts of their ancestors will receive it.

The Cambodian Water Festival (variously spelled in the original Khmer as Bon Om Touk or Bon Om Tuk) takes place once a year, on the full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk (usually in November). It celebrates a major natural occurrence: the reversing flow between the Tonle Sap and the Mekong River.For most of the year, the Tonle Sap empties into the Mekong River. However, when the rainy season arrives in June, the Mekong rises, reversing the flow to dump water into the lake, increasing its size ten-fold. When the rainy season ends in November, the Mekong drops once more, allowing the current to reverse again, emptying the excess waters of Tonle Sap back into the Mekong.

This natural occurrence is celebrated in Cambodia with three days of festivals, fluvial parades, boat races, fireworks, and general merriment.

An Ancient Thanks to the River

Then as now, Tonle Sap is a major focus of life for many Cambodians. It's a source of livelihood for fishermen and farmers alike - it's rich in fish stocks, and the silt deposits left by the floods fertilize the fields. No wonder Cambodians have celebrated Bon Om Touk for centuries - it's a way to give back to the river that's given them so much.

Bon Om Touk dates back to the 12th century, to the time of the Angkorian King Jayavarman VII. The Water Festival was celebrated by the King's Navy to kick off the Cambodian fishing season - the fluvial festivities are meant to keep the river divinities happy, ensuring a bountiful harvest of rice and fish for the year to come.

A competing story holds that Bon Om Touk was a way for the King to prepare his navy for battle. At Bayon near Siem Reap, naval battles have been carved into the stonework, depicting boats not that much different from the boats that race on Tonle Sap today.

Three ceremonies underpin the entire Bon Om Touk celebration:

Loy Pratip: an evening fluvial parade, featuring beautifully-illuminated boats lighting up the waterways. Government institutions sponsor each of the boats on parade.

Sampeas Preah Khe: the salutation to the moon. The full moon is supposed to be a good sign for the coming harvest, which is why Cambodians make sure to give thanks to it on Bon Om Touk, and pray for a bountiful harvest ahead.

Auk Ambok: at midnight, celebrants gather at temples to eat ambok ("flattened rice"), a holiday rice dish. Ambok is simply rice fried in the husk, pounded to remove the husk, and mixed with banana and coconut.

Three Day Celebration

People come from far and wide to join the celebrations. School is closed, and most workers go on vacation. Upwards of a million Cambodians gather at the river banks to celebrate; those who can't find hotel rooms often just camp out along the streets!

Certain roads near the river are blocked against motor traffic, allowing the thousands of celebrants to walk among the streets, sampling the festival's entertainments.

Bon Om Touk lasts three whole days. Many out-of-towners converge on Tonle Sap, whole communities going en masse to enter their boats in competition.

The colorful racing boats are arguably the main stars of the event. They have bright paint schemes, often with eyes painted on the prow to protect against evil. The biggest boats are over a hundred feet long, crewed with up to eighty oarsmen.

Unlike Western boat races, Cambodian boat crews face forward. Many boat crews are complemented with a colorfully-costumed lady at the prow dancing to the beat of the drums.

For the first two days, races are run with two boats each, with the big race happening on the last day, when all the boats take to the river to compete.

While the contestants pair off to compete in the middle of the river, the river's edge teems with boat crews practicing for their upcoming run, making for a brilliant display with their colorful shirts festooned with their sponsors' logos.

In the evenings, the festivities continue with carnival rides, traditional music performances, and dances.

A wholesome carnival atmosphere prevails for the Water Festival's duration - food and drink overflow in the streets, Khmer pop bands entertain the crowds, and the riversides are packed to capacity with punters cheering their favorite boats on.

The Cambodian Buplic Holiday in Cambodia, Kingdom Of Wonder

2011-11-10T11:02:00.001+07:00

The Cambodian Public Holiday for 2011

1st January 2011	International New Year's Day
7th January 2011	Victory Day over the Genocide Regime
18th February 2011	Meaka Bochea Day
8th March 2011	International Women's Day
14th-16th April 2011	Khmer New Year Day
1st May 2011	International Labor Day
13th-15th May 2011	Birthday of His Majesty Samdech Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni
17th May 2011	Visaka Bochea
21st May 2011	Royal Ploughing Ceremony
1st June 2011	International Children's Day
18th June 2011	Queen Mother's Birthday
24th June 2011	Constitution Day
26th-28th September 2011	Pchum Ben Day
29th October 2011	Coronation's Day of His Majesty Preah Baromneath Norodom Sihamoni
31st October 2011	Birthday of His Majesty King-Father Norodom Sihanouk
9th November 2011	Independence Day
9th-11th November 2011	Water Festival
10th December 2011	Human Right Day

Notes:
1. If a holiday fails on a Saturday or a Sunday, the Government allows employees to take a holiday on the following day.
2. The dates of these public holidays vary from year to year according to the lunar calendar.

18th February : This is considered to be the date of Buddha' s birth, enlightenment and death. It falls on the fullmoon day of the 6th lunar month. Many activities , proccession and ceremonies will take place in the temples. All public business offices will be closed for one day.

14-16-16th April : Cambodian New Year, The Khmer New Year Festival or Chaul Chnam (mindmonth): The New Year' s Festival spans three days following the end of the harvest season. Khmer clean and decorate their houses with altars for offering. Then we play our traditional games.

21st May : Chroat Preah Neangkal is a traditional agricultural festival which has recently been re-introduced by King Norodom Sihanouk. Two sacred oxen are harnessed to a plough. A member of the Roral Family usually takes the part of the man, King of Meakh, who ceremonially plows a furrow, followed by a woman, Queen Me Hour, who sows the seed. When the proccession stops, the oxen are released and guided to seven silver trays. The trays contain rice, corn, wheat, bean, grass and herbs; one contains water and the last alcohol. If the oxen eat the cereals, it is predicted that the harvest will be good, but if they eat the grass or herbs, it will be a bad year. If the cows drink the water, rain will be abundant, but if they drink the alcohol, trouble will break out the country.

26-27-28 September : Spirit Commemoration Day or Ceremony of the Dead: Pchum Ben, is the last day of Bon Kan Ben (offering ceremony). It is one day celebration to end the period of food offering to monks spending their rainy-season retreat. Cambodians visit wats and cemeteries to pray for departed relatives and ancestors. Throughout Cambodia, Bon Kan Ben is celebrated for two weeks. It is also called the Pchum Ben or Festival for the Dead which lasts for 15 days. Pchum Ben falls on the 15th day the fullmoon. Buddhist monks chant prayers and accept ceremonial offerings of food from the relatives of the dead. People dedicate food and good wishes to their deceased relatives, whose spirits, according to the customs practiced by most Cambodians, come back on e a year.

09-10-11 November : The Water Festival or Bon Om Touk: Held on the day of the full moon, this celebrates the reversal of the flow of the water in the Tonle Sap River (The dry season, water backed up in the Tonle Sap lake begins to empty into the Mekong. In the wet season the reverse is the case. Please enjoy the best time to experience it in front of the royal place reverside.

Ten Most Popular Trees in Cambodia

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Palm Tree

Straight like a column, tall like a skyscraper, the palm tree represents the Khmer soul. According to history, palm trees were discovered at the same time Khmer people established their tribes in present day Cambodia during the Funan in 600 A.D.

Besides representing Cambodia's soul, the palm tree provided raw materials for many Khmer dishes as well as household products.

For instance palm juice, which is produced by squeezing the palm flowers, can be used to make either sweet or sour drinks, which are popular across the country. The juice can also be made further into sugar palm by stirring it in a heated pot until it becomes thick and much sweeter than the original juice. Producing palm sugar requires a long process and time but it's sold at a much higher price.

If not used for juice, the palm flower will develop into palm fruit that is uniquely fresh and sweet. Today, palm fruit is used by many Cambodians to make desert by adding ingredients such as coconut milk, a bit of sugar and lots of ice to accommodate the generally hot climate of Cambodia.

Another important use of the palm tree in Cambodia society is for the construction of the traditional Khmer home, such as the roof of cover and the walls. Leaves need to be dried under the sun first, before they can be tied together to form larger pieces of roughly 1m x 0.5m.

The trunk of the palm tree also has its use. The palm trunk is softer in the inside than the outside; quite the opposite from most other trees. For this reason, the palm trunk is perfect for making small boats.

Not a single component of the palm tree is unused . Palm trees were here when the first Khmer arrived ; hopefully, it will always be here as the Khmer population continues to grow rapidly, expanding into the countryside where most palm trees persist.

Banana Tree

The Banana tree is like a giant flower and unlike most trees. It has big leaves in proportion to its trunk and branches. All its branches grow outward from the tree top like a blooming flower. The Banana tree has so many uses. Its leaf can be used to wrap cakes, food etc. The trunk of the tree is used in preparation for various Buddhist ceremonies and when it's mashed into little pieces it becomes pig's food and even used for human soup. Its fruit can be eaten as desert as well as for traditional ceremonies and remedy.

Coconut Tree

The Coconut tree is similar to the palm tree but it's not as straight. It grows easily but only in tropical climates. The coconut tree has many uses. Its leaf can be used to make household products and its fruit can be used as a drink or to make deserts. Traditionally, coconut flower is used in wedding ceremonies.

Bamboo Tree

The Bamboo tree is known for its straight trunk which is useful for construction, usually scaffolding. The leaf of the bamboo tree is used to wrap Chinese cake, called Nom Zhang. When young, bamboo is called Tra Peang, which is another popular vegetable in Cambodia.

Rubber Tree

The Rubber tree can be found in various countries; however, it is a very special tree to Cambodians. Cambodian's soil is very fertile for rubber trees to grow and many people across the country make a decent living from growing rubber trees. After three to five years rubber trees start giving the milky like liquid that is eventually made into rubber. The tree itself is also very good for wood fire and housing.

Tek Doh or Tek Doh Ko (milk) Tree

Even though this tree doesn't have many uses but it's an indigenous tree to Cambodian.Its fruit-Phle Te Doh Ko (milk fruit) is sweet and milky and has large seeds. There are two kinds of Tek Doh Ko tree: male and female. They are similar, although the female tree produces large fruit. Unfortunately, today this tree is a rare sight in Cambodia.

Papaya Tree

The Papaya tree is a common site in Cambodia. Although its trunk doesn't have much use, its fruit can be used in many different ways. Ripe papaya is a delicious fruit, while the raw one is used for papaya salad or in Khmer, Bok Lhong. Papaya can also be put in soup or marinated and become Chruok L'hong.

Guava Tree (Trabek Tree)

The Guava tree has pale-earth like skin color and is very strong and durable. It's not a very large tree but Cambodian people love to grow this tree. Since ancient times Cambodians have used Guava tree's skin to cure diarrhea. It's very bitter and is boiled in water until its bitter taste comes out. The young guava leaf is also a very good diarrhea medicine. But beware, guava seed is very hard and shouldn't be consumed in large amounts. It can cause stomach ache or more serious stomach problems.

Jackfruit Tree

The Jackfruit tree is a big tree compared to other fruit trees. It has green palm-size leaves and large solid trunk that can be used to make various kinds of instruments. The skin of the trunk is also a type of ancient Khmer medicine. The Jackfruit is very popular fruit in Cambodia and unlike other trees the fruit grows out of the tree trunk!

Porsat Orange Tree

The most famous and favorite Porsat Orange comes from the north-western province of Battambang, Cambodia. Porsat Orange produces orange of unique taste. Most oranges are either sweet or sour; however, Porsat Orange is both sweet and sour.

TOP KHMER CAKES

2011-11-10T10:33:00.000+07:00

Num Anksom

Num Anksom, which is covered by banana leaves and boiled well before consomption, consist of two kind: Anksom Chrouk and Anksom Chek. Anksom Chrouk (pig cake) is mainly made out of pork, sticky rice, peeled mung bean and pepper, while Anksom Chek consist of ripe banana and other ingredients used in AnksomChrouk, excerpt the pork and pepper. Num Anksom is one of the most popular traditional cakes Cambodians make during traditional ceremonies or festivals, particularly on Phchum Ben (Festival of the dead) and Khmer New Year.

Num Korm

Similar to Num Anksom, Num Korm is used for traditional ceremonies or festivals, particularly during the Khmer New Year and Phchum Ben (Festival of the dead) It is pyramidal, and is either sweet or succulently salty.

Num Slek Sros (Fresh Leaf Num)

Cambodians name it because it is packaged in a piece of fresh green banana leaf. The slightly sweet cake comes from sticky flour with peeled mung bean inside serving as the core. It is eaten during traditional festivals, parties and other events, mostly as dessert.

Cambodian Waffle

It consist of sticky rice flour mixed with coconut oil, palm or white sugar, eggs and salt. It is not expensive, and many Cambodians think its tastes best when it is still hot.

Num Akor

It is round, made out of sticky rice flour mixed with coconut milk and palm sugar or white sugar with shredded coconut and toasted sesame on the top. It comes in two colors- white and red and it is also used as an offering on a Buddhist holy day.

Num Cak Kachan

It is sweet, and has numerous layers of various colors such as white and red, or green and white. Cambodians buy it for a Biddhist holy day to eat at home.

Moon Cake

Although traditionally used by the Chinese for the Moon Festival, the Moon cake is very popular in Cambodia, especially with Chinese-Cambodians. The Chinese eat the Moon cake when there is a full moon.

Num Krouch

It is called so because it looks like an orange, though orange is not part of the ingredients. Fried, Num Krouch consist of flour with peeled mung bean mixed with sugar serving as the core, toppled with toasted sesame. In general, it is popular with Cambodian kids.

Num Chek Bok (Crushed Banana Cake)

It is made out of sticky rice flour, coconut milk and ripe banana. It is eaten as a snack at home after meals.

Num Ple'ay

It is made out of flour and palm sugar. It is round, small with a sugar ball inside. In rural areas, it is eaten in a small banana leaf basket, which contains over five Num Ple'ay balls or more depending on how much you want to pay.

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A COLLECTION OF CAMBODIAN FOLK TALES

2011-11-01T10:09:00.007+07:00

Cambodian Folktales

Folktales grew from the imagination and the lives of people, passed through from generation to generation, the stories have sometimes altered during the retelling process, ordinary characters become bigger than life, situations exaggerated.

They remain popular both with adults and children, especially the latter who respond quickly to the stories. They are simple to understand with no complicated plot involved, they are short, and sometimes humorous. The sense of justice is always there, the good character will be rewarded and the evil one always gets punished at the end! Folktales may lead to a better understanding of customs and culture. Here are the folktales, so enjoy!

THE RABBIT AND THE PALM FRUIT

There was a rabbit who lived under a palm tree near a hillock. One day he was sound asleep, when a ripe palm fruit fell down on the ground near by. He heard the cracking sound of the dried palm leaves.

At this sound, he was frightened, and said to himself "It is and earthquake!", and then he jumped up and began running without looking behind. When the Oxen saw him in high speed, they said to him, "Rabbit! why are you running so fast? What is the matter?"

The Rabbit shouted in haste "Brother oxen! It's an earthquake! Do not stay here! Run!" The Oxen heard what the Rabbit had said and they were frightened too, and they began to run, and soon after they met the Pigs and Deer. They too ran after the Oxen and the Rabbit. When the Elephants saw them running, they too, asked "Why are you running, Oxen" What is the matter?" The Oxen told them "Do not stay here! The earthquake is coming!" Hearing this story, the Elephants jointed them. When they all reached the Lion's den, the clever Lion, seeing all the panic-stricken animals, asked the Elephants.

"Why are you running? What is the matter?"

The Elephants replied, "We do not know exactly why. We saw the Oxen running, so we ran after them, we heard something about an earthquake"

The Lion asked the Oxen "Why are you running? What is the matter? Oxen?" The Oxen said "We do not know either. We saw the Rabbit running, so we ran after him"

The Lion asked the Deer and the Pigs, but they answered like wise. So finally he questioned the Rabbit. The Rabbits answered "I am none too sure, myself. While I was sound asleep under a palm tree, the earth breaking up pierced my ears, so I was afraid and began to run"

The clever Lion then led all the panicky animals to the palm tree, and showed them the cracked palm fruit lying on the ground. The embarrassed animals gave the Rabbit a sound rebuke and went back to their own places.

The Blackbird and The Monkey

There were two blackbirds: male and female who set up their nest on a tree. Mean while it was raining, a homeless monkey who was stricken with cold came to stay under the blackbird's tree. When the blackbirds saw him terribly shivering, one counseled him " Oh, Brother Monkey, you have two hands and two legs as a man does. Why don't you build home for your dwelling? "

The monkey said " I have two hands and two legs as a man does. Thus I am a nestles animal. The truth is I cannot do it. " The blackbird said again " You do not need knowledge to build your nest. You see the birds have only one beak and they can build the nest which they need for their protection from the cold and the rain. You had better think it over. Am I right or not? All the animals in the world have their own dwelling to protect their babies and their mates from suffering. If you cannot build a good nest, you just put branches one on another and you cover it with leaves for your own nest for a while. You do not depend on another dwelling or on a branch or on a tree. It is very difficult for your mate and your young ones. Monkey you have two hands and two legs, I think you can do it. Please do it, do not wait for your knowledge to help you.

All the animals have only strength will work in their own way. They never work like the human beings. You see even the worm, the locust and the termite which are very small, but they have their own habitations, and you, why can't you do it? Other animals have no more knowledge than you, but they are able to build habitations of their own. You said that you cannot do it because you do not want to do it, and you are lazy animal. "

When the monkey heard the blackbird criticize him, he became very angry, because he was ashamed before the blackbirds, and then he swung straight to the blackbird's nest and dropped it down.

" Do not give counsel those who do not want to listen. "

The Female Crocodile who wanted to eat the Monkey's Heart

When in one of his former births, the Buddha was born as a monkey, called Mahakabin, he was powerful and lived in the forest near the river in which there was a small island in the middle. That island had every kind of fruit for his food. Between the river and the shore there was a sand bank. The monkey leaped from the shore to the sand bank first, then to the island.

Mean while there were two crocodiles, female and male, who lived in the river. Latter on the female crocodile was with child and wanted to eat the monkey's heart, then she told her husband " I am eager to eat a monkey's heart. If you can not find one for me, I will die and leave you alone."

The male crocodile said " Oh, darling! Do not worry. If you are eager to eat it, let me bring it for you, because I see every day a big monkey who crosses the river to the island. Usually he stops on the sand bank before, he goes to the island, I will swim and creep on that island to kill him for you."

The crocodile swam to the island and crept on to the sand bank to cover it. He thought that the monkey would think that he was the sand bank. When the monkey came back from the island at sunset, he leaped over from the shore of the river and he almost leaped on the bank which the crocodile covered, he saw the crocodile on the bank.

Then the monkey wondered " This bank is always as high as the surface of the water and why is this bank higher today? Maybe there is some ferocious animal who is lying on it and wants to kill me " and then the monkey called the bank of sand " Oh, friend Sand water, but today you are Bank ! You are always as high as the surface of the higher. How can you grow so high? "

The monkey repeated this sentence three times. When the crocodile heard the monkey call the sand bank, he thought that the bank was not talking to the monkey, because he covered it, then he pretended to be the sand bank and replied " Oh, friend monkey I am not higher than yesterday. Please leap on me! "

The monkey said " Oh, poor animal, my bank does not know how to talk. Who are you? " The crocodile told the monkey " I am the king of the crocodile who live in this river." The monkey asked the crocodile, " why do you sleep on this bank? " The crocodile said " Oh monkey! I want your heart for my wife, because she is eager to eat your heart."

" If you need my life, Please open your mouth widely and close your eyes, I will jump into your mouth " said the monkey, " and be sure to close your mouth. " Then the monkey saw that it was a good chance to leap to pass to the shore. He then jump on the crocodile's body and from there leaped on to the shore as fast as an arrow.

When the crocodile thought the monkey passed over his back could not catch him, he was very sorry to be out witted by the monkey, and he left the sand for his own place in the river.

The Crow and The Deer

Once there lived together as friends two animals, a crow and a deer. Later on a wolf met the deer in the forest and wanted to be his friend, then the deer agreed. Then the two animals often met each other. But the crow knew that the wolf was very wicked, and dishonest; then he warned the deer not to be friendly with the wolf.

The crow said " The wolf pretends to be friendly, when you are taken in by his tricks, he will kill you sometime " By and by the deer fell into the wolf's tricks, so did not listen to the crow's warning. He agreed to come to the wolf 's place everyday.

One day the wolf saw a trap in the forest, then he thought he would lead the deer to it, and when the deer was caught in the trap, he would eat him. Planning to kill the deer, the wolf went to see the deer at his place, and then the wolf told the deer that there was good food somewhere in the forest.

It was not easy to find food, when the deer heard this, he was very happy to go with the wolf who guided him to the trap. And finally he was caught in the trap. Being afraid of death, the deer called for help from the wolf, the wolf pretended to be afraid of the man who came to see the trap, then he went in to the forest to hide until the deer would be killed, then he would eat him.

One day when the crow did not see the deer come back in the evening, he flew around everywhere as far as the forest where the deer was caught in the trap, then he saw the deer and said to him " Oh, friend! why are you caught in the trap? " The deer told the crow " This is my mistake in believing the wolf who asked me to come with him to find food here, now, when the trap holds me, he leaves me here and he goes away. Please save my life."

The crow told the deer to play a trick with the hunter, then he said " when you see the hunter come to see the trap. You lie down as a dead deer and don't move. Do not even breathe! The hunter will be sure that you are dead. When he takes you off the trap, you will hear me crowing, you are get up and run into the forest away from the man." the deer agreed to the crow's plan.

When the hunter came to see his trap, he saw the deer caught, then he thought that the deer had died. He took the deer off the trap and put him on one side, then he looked around him, when the crow saw that the hunter was not paying attention to the deer, he crowed to let the deer run away and the deer ran quickly at high speed into the forest.

when the hunter saw that the deer ran away, he took a sword and ran after the deer to throw the sword at the deer, but the sword dropped on the wolf who waited for the deer's meat in a bush near the trap, the sword struck the wolf's neck killing him. The crow guided the deer to the forest where the hunter could not kill him any more.

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DISTANCE: PHNOM PENH - PROVINCES

2011-10-31T15:40:00.000+07:00

Provinces	Code	Dist.PP
Ratanakiri	075	636 km
Preah Vihear		543 km
Mondulkiri	073	543 km
Stung Treng	074	481 km
Kratie	072	340 km
Pailin	053	378 km
Banteay Meanchey	054	351 km
Siem Reap	063	314 km
Battambang	053	291 km
Koh Kong	035	280 km
Oudor Meanchey	0065	231 km
Sihanouk ville	034	226 km
Pursat	052	186 km
Kampong Thom	062	168 km
Kampot	033	148 km
Kep Municipality	036	148 km
Kampong Cham	042	124 km
Svay Rieng	044	124 km
Prey Veng	043	91 km
Kampong Chhnang	026	91 km
Takeo	032	78 km
Kampong Speu	025	48 km
Kandal	024	13 km

The Main Cambodian Islands

The following is the list of Island of the Kingdom of Cambodia
- Koh Pos
- Koh Kaung Kang
- Koh Rung Sanloeung
- Koh Kong
- Koh Khteah
- Koh Chraloh
- Koh Ta kiev
- Koh Tang
- Koh Pring
- Koh Poulo Wei
- Koh Dek Kol
- Koh Rong
- Koh Proeuv
- Koh Seusei
- Koh Sramaoch
- Koh Trach

Beach Holiday on the Cambodia Islands

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KINGDOM OF CAMBODIA

2011-10-31T15:30:00.001+07:00

NATIONAL FLAG
The flag of Cambodia symbolizes the country’s religious dignity and royalty. Two large blue stripes representing royalty, embrace an even larger red stripe which represents the nation. The image of the white temple represents the nation’s religion. Generally speaking, the colors and image on the Cambodian flag personify the country’s slogan: Nation, Religion, King. (ref: Ministry of Tourism)

NATIONAL FLOWER

Romduol, a small yellowish-white flower, is the national flower of the Kingdom of Cambodia. Since ancient times, Cambodian women have often been compared to the Romduol flower because of its attractive fragrance; a unique scent that is prominent in the late afternoon and can travel over long distances with the wind. With its sturdy stems that measure up to 30cm, the Romduol plant can grow to a height of 12 meters. These plants are being planted to enhance public parks. (ref: ministry of Tourism)

SOCIO-ECONIMICS AT A GLANCE

Official Name	Kingdom of Cambodia
Flag of Cambodia
Royal arms of Cambodia
Motto:	"Nation, religion, King"
Anthem:	Nokoreach
Surface area:	181 035 sq.km
Capital City:	Phnom Penh
Official Language:	Khmer
Demonym:	Khmer or Cambodian
King:	Samdech Preah Norodom Sihamoni
Prime Minister:	Samdech Dek Cho Hun Sen
Government:	Constitutional monarchy, Parliamentary representative democracy
Legislature: - Upper House - Lower House	Parliament Senate National Assembly
Population: - Male - Female	13,395,682 (2008) 48.6% 51.4%
Density of population:	75 per sq.km
Population Growth Rate:	1.54%
Climatic condition:	Tropical and monsoon
National Currency:	Riel (R)
Time Zone:	GMT + 7 hours

GEOGRAPHY
Cambodia has land area of 181 035 sq.km, in the south-west part of the Indochina peninsula, about 20% of which is used for agriculture. The country's maximum extent is about 580 km (est-west) and 450 km (north-south). It is bounded on the west by Thailand, on the north by Thailand and Laos, on the east by Vietnam and on the south by the Gulf of Thailand. In comparison wit its neighboring countries, Cambodia is administratively divided into 24 provinces and the capital of Phnom Penh. Provinces are further subdivided into 159 districts and 26 municipalities. The capital is divided into 8 khan. Districts are consist of 1417 Khum and 204Sangkat.

CLIMATE

Cambodia's climate is hot and warm almost all year round. The climate is dominated by the annual monsoon cycle of rainy and dry seasons. The rainy season lasts from May to October, and the dry season is from November to April. December to January are the cool months while the hottest period is in April. The average temperature is 27 - 28^oC.

LANGUAGES
Khmer is the official language in Cambodia. English is very popular with people for communicating with foreigners in administrative, commercial, diplomatic, economic, industrial , and tourist affairs. The older people educated at their local comprehensive school can speak French clearly. Khmer-English road and street signs are found nationwide.

RELIGION
Cambodia is predominantly Biddhist. Like most other religions, there are many different types of Buddhism, and about 95% of Cambodians belong to the Theavada sect of Buddhists. Religion is an important tradition in Cambodia, and for a very long time, most Cambodian have not been willing to change. In more recent years, many Cambodians, especially the young people have begun to look for more, and many Christian missionatire have been able to enter the country. Christianity as well as many false religions have been growing rapidly in Cambodia.

CURRENCY
The Cambodian currency is Riel that can fluctuate a little if it is compared with a dollar. Riel denominations are 100,000; 50,000; 20,000; 10,000; 5,000; 2,000; 1,000; 500; 200; 100; and 50; Banknotes, which are printed in both Khmer and English, increase in size according to value and are in different colors.

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