GRIFFITH GLEANINGS JUNE 2017
Our first experience of a Khmer wedding was like none we had ever experienced. We had not previously met the bride or groom. Our invitation was from our landlord’s family who were related to the bride. We interact daily with our landlord’s family who live downstairs from us. Going to the wedding has deepened the relationships with the whole family. The Khmer people traditionally don’t celebrate birthdays, but they do know how to celebrate a wedding. A wedding is a grand affair, full of colour and festivity. We observed the bride and groom changing their outfits several times in the one day. Each outfit and colour has a significance. The family members closely related to the bride also all wore more than one set of matching outfits. In Khmer culture, family bonds are the ones that are the most important, and a marriage is the inclusion of the couple into their new families.
Cambodia has a tropical monsoon climate with at least two distinct seasons: wet (May to October) and dry (November to April). Due to Cambodia’s location just 10-13 degrees north of the equator, the country is hot and humid. Presently we are seeing the wet season rice crop beginning. The soil is ploughed until it reaches a smooth ‘sloppy’ consistency (soil conservation farming practices are not how it is done here), before it is naturally submerged by the monsoonal rainfall. As we have watched the rice crop being planted we desire to see seeds of hope and transformation among the Khmer people. We are thankful for deepening relationships with Khmer locals in our community and the beginnings of being able to share each others stories. |
