KhmerPress.info
- Cambodian culture consists of a blend of influences that includes
traditions from the Indian subcontinent, immigrants and indigenous
tribes.
But the Khmer Rouge regime nearly decimated it by banning art performances and trainings and even killing performers.
For the last 14 years, the Cambodian
government has organised a National Culture Day on March 3 to revive and
commemorate the many cultural traditions that exist within the Kingdom.
This year, the Ministry of Culture and
Fine Arts (MCFA) will mark the day with a festival from March 2-4 in
Pailin, about 400 kilometres west of Phnom Penh.
According to the MCFA, National Culture
Day is part of the government’s mission to “preserve the culture,
promote the cultural legacies and develop all cultural activities –
especially in places where indigenous people live – and also encourage
the creation of new art forms”.
Pailin was once home to Burmese
merchants known as “Kola”, who lived there for centuries but disappeared
during the Khmer Rouge. However, their 87-year-old stupa – a
traditional Buddhist temple – and traditional peacock dance remained.
The stupa was restored two years ago, and will be opened to the public this weekend.
“The National Culture day is organised
to coincide with the inauguration of the stupa,” said Lem Bunheng,
director of the Department of Culture and Fine Arts in Pailin. “It is
the first time that my province is hosting, so I’m happy.”
Artists from Phnom Penh, Battambang,
Banteay Meanchey and Pailin provinces will be present for the occasion
to perform a variety of Cambodian arts.
The artists from Phnom Penh will show
their Apsara dance, including a folk “drum dance”, “grasshopper dance”,
“picking cardamom dance”, and “mortar and pestle dance”.
Battambang artists will perform a circus routine, while those from Banteay Meanchey will present a theatre production.
The Pailin artists will perform their
“gem sifts” and “peacock” dances unique to the region. There will also
be a concert with musicians playing the chapey dorng veng, a
three-string long-necked guitar.
The National Culture Day festival will run from March 2-4 in Pailin town.
