Nothing captures the unending spirit of Cambodia more than Chol Chnam Thmey, usually falling in mid-April. Literally ‘Enter Year New’, this is Khmer New Year: a three day long celebration, with the kind of atmosphere that you wish you could cork in a bottle and release a little every day.
I knew that the place to celebrate New Year in Cambodia would be at Siem Reap, where the temples of Angkor Wat have stood the test of time and the encroaching jungle for centuries. Gigantic Banyan trees cast their indelible buttress roots here, finding their way between ancient palaces and standing for all Cambodia: these are the very roots of the nation – culturally, historically and economically – that have stood as a constant through the terror of the Khmer Rouge.
I spent New Year’s Eve at Amansara, joining a calm and contemplative offering of alms to the Buddhist monks that reside here – a gentle reminder of the positivity of the Buddhist psyche. A performance of a traditional Khmer Apsara dance, courtesy of local women dressed beautifully in threads sparkling with gold, extravagant headdresses, jingling bells, heavy jewellery and each with a fresh red rose tucked behind their right ear, welcomed the New Year by candlelight under a sky littered with stars.
Dawn over Angkor Wat heralded the beginning of a new year; a golden sun crept from behind the temples, bruising the sky with pink, orange and yellow, all reflected in wide lakes scattered with not-quite-flowering lily-pads. An early start for New Year’s Day – yes – but the cool of early morning air and that unique feeling of stealing secret hours before the rest of the world awakes up made it unbeatable.
Back at Amansara, a Trot dance warded off any bad luck collected over the last year; recompense, I thought, for all those sets of three drains I’ve mistakenly stumbled over, and lone magpie’s that have tainted my vision. From the Sanskrit meaning ‘to end’, Trot tells the tale of a hunter unable to hunt any prey who is presented with a golden deer after praying to the spirits. In line, we went on to pay our own respects to the spirits, promising ourselves (we hope) a prosperous year.
Later, we wandered to Wat Thmey, joining local people to make further offerings and burning incense in the mid-afternoon sun baking the ancient stone. Cambodian children have been preparing a folk dance that has all the charm of a primary school nativity at Christmas.
It is not often that three days of New Year celebrations leave you feeling refreshed and inspired, but I guess that is the secret to those never-ending smiles.
