Khmer New Year comes the time for Cambodian folks to return to their homeland to reunite with their families and celebrate. If they happen to be born in Phnom Penh, they either go to the homeland of their parents or they stay in the silent capital. Khmer New Year also comes with the crowded celebrations at many meeting points for the rural population. Even under the heating sun, Khmers are very festive. Many traditional games are played by the crowd amongst youngsters and children while the elders watch over the party. These are the commonly played traditional games of Cambodia.
CHHOUNG
CHHOUNG
To play this game, two teams are needed-a team of girls on one side and boys on the other. A krama is tied into knots until it becomes like a large cloth ball with loose edges to grip and throw it. There are two distinct types of chhoung. The first is chhoung rorm chreang (singing and dancing chhoung), when the boy’s team throw the chhoung into the girl’s team. If the girls cannot catch it, they must pick it up off the ground and throw it back. The boy who gets the chhoung next can try to hit the girl he likes with it. If he gets her, she must sing and dance for him. If not, it is the girl’s team’s turn to try and hit a boy to make him sing and dance. The most popular song goes: “I can catch this chhoung and break it into four parts. Oh my darling, please get this chhoung”. For the other variety, chhoung loh kangom, the rules are the same, except if a boy is hit, he must go to the girl’s side, and vice versa.
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