January 13
Some traditions and customs.
Pulled and pooled from here and here.
* Cambodians greet one another with a som pas; a bow with hands placed together in a prayer-like position at chest level.
* Visitors should avoid contact with the feet and heads of Cambodians and the feet should not be pointed at anyone. Mmk.
* The greater a person’s age, the greater the level of respect that must be granted to them.
And some other things:
* Though it’s dying off a bit, they still do shadow theatre which is incredible. I would love to see that.
* Death is not viewed with the great outpouring of grief common to Western society; it is viewed as the end of one life and as the beginning of another life that one hopes will be better. We have a similar outlook on death, even if our understanding is different, and I think it’s a good common ground?
* Folk dancers wear clothes of the people they are portraying such as Chams, hill tribes, farmers, and peasants. Some folk dances are about love, or are folktales about animals. Want to see.
