Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital History, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers.

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Phnom_Penh..JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a0/Phnom_Penh..JPG" width="400" /></a></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> </div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small;">People have inhabited parts of Southeast Asia since the early Stone Age, and the ancestors of the Khmer people have been in the area for at least 5000 years, perhaps much longer, but there is no firm evidence of settlements in the Phnom Penh area prior to about 2000 years ago. Though probably an active settlement in Cambodia's golden age of Angkor (9th-15th century AD,) Phnom Penh does not enter the historical record until after it became the Khmer capital in the mid 15th century AD. At the time it was known as Chaktomuk - the 'Four Faces' - so called for its location at the four-branched confluence of the Mekong River. The chaktomuk is a riverine crossroads in the heart of Cambodia with the Tonle Sap River running northwest to the old Angkorian capital, the Mekong River north to Laos and branches south to the delta and the South China Sea. Phnom Penh is, before all else, the city at Chaktomuk on the Mekong River....</span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;">Legendary Beginnings</span></b></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></b><a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Royal_Palace,_Phnom_Penh_Cambodia_14.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/72/Royal_Palace,_Phnom_Penh_Cambodia_14.jpg" width="400" /></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />First recorded a century after it is said to have taken place, the legend of the founding of Phnom Penh tells of a local woman, Old Lady Penh (Duan Penh,) living at the chaktomuk, the future Phnom Penh. It was the late 14th century and the Khmer capital was still at Angkor near Siem Reap 350km to the west. Gathering firewood along the banks of the river, Lady Penh spied a floating koki tree in the river and fished it from the water. Inside the tree she found four Buddha statues and one of Vishnu (the</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;"><img align="right" border="0" height="200" hspace="10" src="http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/phnom-penh-page-images/PH-History4.jpg" vspace="2" width="133" /></span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"> numbers</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"> vary on different tellings.) The discovery was taken as a divine blessing, and to some a sign that the Khmer capital was to be brought to Phnom Penh from Angkor. To house the new found sacred objects, Lady Penh raised a small hill on the west bank of the Tonle Sap River and crowned it with a shrine, now known as Wat Phnom at the north end of central Phnom Penh. 'Phnom' is Khmer for 'hill' and the Lady Penh's hill took on the name of the founder, i.e. Phnom Duan Penh, and the area around it became known after the hill - Phnom Penh.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;"><img align="left" border="0" height="291" hspace="10" src="http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/phnom-penh-page-images/PH---HistSEAmap.jpg" vspace="2" width="200" />History</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />Cambodia is the land of the Khmer, the dominant ethnic group in the area stretching from the present deep into prehistory. The</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;">Angkorian era Khmer Empire centered near Siem Reap dominated the region from the 9th-13th century AD, at its apex the Empire stretched across most of mainland Southeast Asia. But by the 15th century the Empire was in political and territorial decline and under challenge from the rising Tai kingdom of Ayudhaya in today’s Thailand. By the 14th century Ayudhaya was staging regular incursions, culminating with the sack of Angkor in 1431-32. Shortly thereafter the Khmer court of King Pohea Yat left the Angkorian capital and established a new capital at Phnom Penh. With a very brief exception, the capital would never return to Angkor.<br /><br />The choice to move the capital to Phnom Penh at the confluence of the Mekong was probably not only a strategic response to Ayudhhaya’s aggression but may have also reflected a tectonic economic shift. The 15th century was the beginning of a general rise in international commerce throughout the region and Phnom Penh was an ideal location for a trade center. The move may have reflected the country changing focus from the old Angkorian agrarian economy based in the country’s interior to a trade oriented economy based in a riverine port town.<br /><br />During the first Royal occupation of Phnom Penh in the mid 15th century, King Pohea Yat set the foundations of city, establishing several wats and laying out the town along moats/rivers which approximate the area and layout of modern central Phnom Penh. Wat Ounalom on the riverfront near the Royal Palace may even slightly pre-date King Pohea Yat, making it the oldest known Buddhist foundation in the city.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;">Phnom Penh</span></b></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />Trade with China and other Asian kingdoms was well established in the Angkorian-era long before Phnom Penh was the capital. Boats traveling upriver to Angkor would pass Chaktomuk (Phnom Penh) which, due to its favorable location, was probably an active settlement at the time. After the capital moved from Angkor to Phnom Penh in the mid 15th century, the city remained the capital only briefly. Before the century was out, the capital had been relocated to Longvek 46km upriver. Though it moved a few more times in the subsequent centuries (primarily between Longvek and Oudong,) the capital always remained within a few tens of kilometers of the Chaktomuk area.<br /><br />Maritime trade increased dramatically throughout the region in the late 15th century, with international players from as far as Japan. Though the capital had moved from Phnom Penh, the town remained the center of international commerce for Cambodia. Sixteenth century Spanish and Portuguese records paint a picture of small but cosmopolitan port of trade hosting significant populations of Chinese, Malay, Cham, Japanese and some Europeans, all living in separate camps in and around the Phnom Penh area. Structures of wood and bamboo crowded the west bank of the Tonle Sap river and the great stupa on the hill of Wat Phnom was visible from the river, marking the town to arriving visitors.<br /><br />Arriving in the early 16th century, the Portuguese and Spanish were the first Europeans to make contact with Cambodia, sending missionaries, establishing trade and eventually becoming deeply involved in the affairs of the Cambodian court. At the center of the drama were two larger-than-life characters, Spaniard Blaz Ruiz, Portuguese Diogo Veloso and their band. Arriving in the 1580s they ingratiated themselves to the Cambodian King, served him as a sort of Praetorian guard, were captured and then escaped the Siamese, retuned and murdered the new Khmer leader, fled to Laos, installed a new Khmer king in Cambodia, and amidst rising tensions, both died in 1599 coming to the aid of their compatriots in a battle between the Malay and Cambodians against the Spanish in Phnom Penh. The battle resulted in a massacre of the Spanish, bringing Spanish influence in Cambodia to an abrupt and permanent end.<br /><br />In the 17th century, Phnom Penh continued to prosper and the Dutch East India Company became the dominant European trading partner, but this relationship also came to a dire end in Phnom Penh. In a tale less colorful than the Spanish adventure, after a lengthy trade and diplomatic dispute between the Dutch and the King of Cambodia, negotiations came to violence. A Company embassy was killed and captives taken. The Company sent war ships to force the issue with the King at Longvek. Once the ships had passed Phnom Penh on their way up the Tonle Sap, the Cambodians built two bridges across the river behind them, effectively blocking the river. Upon returning downstream the Dutch ships were trapped by the bridges at Phnom Penh and besieged by fire from both banks. They fought their way through in a day long battle but suffered very heavy losses. Like the Spanish, Dutch influence in Cambodia never recovered. Though the first British and French explorers would arrive in the mid 17th century, European interest in Cambodia waned until the French in force returned in the late 19th century.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;">The 19th Century</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />Squeezed between Siam and Vietnam, the 18th and 19th centuries were hard on Cambodia. At the beginning of the 19th century the capital returned to Phnom Penh for the first time in 300 years, but again only briefly. In 1813, during a period of Vietnamese influence, King Ang Chan built the palace Banteay Kev in Phnom Penh, but it burned in 1834 when a retreating Siamese army razed the city. The capital subsequently moved back to Oudong 35km away. It was not until the French arrived in the 1860s that it returned to Phnom Penh once again, this time permanently. At the time the area had a population of about 10,000 including a large Chinese sector as well as many other foreigners. It was a multi-ethnic port town of floating villages and wooden and bamboo houses, huts, shops and vendors lining a complex of paths and a single main road paralleling the riverfront. After a brief visit in 1859, traveler Henri Mouhot dubbed Phnom Penh “the great market of Cambodia."</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;"><img align="left" border="0" height="199" hspace="10" src="http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/phnom-penh-page-images/PH-History1.jpg" vspace="2" width="300" />L'Indochine française</span></b></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />France gained colonial control of much of mainland Southeast Asia beginning in the 1860s, first taking portions of Cochin-china (southern Vietnam,) then Cambodia and the remainder of Vietnam and Laos, finally coalescing in 1887 into a federation of protectorates called French Indochina. Cambodia first came into the French sphere in 1863. Seeking assistance fending off Siam and Vietnam, and under pressure from France, Cambodian King Norodom signed a Protectorate agreement with France in August 1863. On French encouragement, the seat of government was officially moved from Oudong to Phnom Penh in 1866. It was only then that the city first began to take on the appearance of modern Phnom Penh.<br /><br />The first modern stone structure to be built was the Royal Palace, opening in 1870. Soon thereafter the first stone 'Chinese shophouse-style’ buildings were constructed, initially appearing along the riverside near the Palace. The shophouse design is present across Southeast Asia and ubiquitous in Phnom Penh, characterized by rows of a deep, narrow apartment made up of a combined ground-floor businessfront and upstairs residence.<br /><br />By the 1880s, early colonial buildings clustered near Wat Phnom but most of the rest of the city was a swampy place of wooden and bamboo buildings. In the 1880/90s fires periodically swept through sections of town, capped by the Great Fire of May 1894. After that brick and cement became the standard for new buildings. The 1890s saw an expanding population (50,000) and accelerated development including draining wetlands, constructing canals and bridges, expanding the Grand Rue along the river and the addition of several buildings such as the Post Office and Treasury Building which still exist today. The city stretched from the French Quarter around Wat Phnom south to Sihanouk Blvd, most squeezed within a few hundred meters of the river.</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; line-height: 24px;"><b><span style="color: #cc6600; font-size: medium;">The 20th Century...</span></b></span><b style="background-color: white; line-height: 24px;"><i><span style="color: red; font-family: Arial; font-size: medium;"> </span></i></b><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-size: x-small; line-height: 24px;"><br />France remained in control of Cambodia for most of the first half of the 20th century. Many classic colonial buildings were constructed including the Police Station (next to the Post Office,) the Hotel Le Royal and the large villas around the Royal Palace. By the 1930s the canals had been filled and turned into garden boulevards, which are now parks along Sihanouk Blvd and also Streets 108/106. As the population grew (109,000 in 1939) the city continued to expand, mostly westward into the wetlands, which were drained accordingly.<br /><br />In 1935 the Boeung Deco lake was filled and the distinctive, domed, art deco 'Central Market' (Phsar Thmey) was built in its place, originally known as the ‘Grand Market’ when it opened in 1937. That same year the cyclo-pousse, the iconic bicycle rickshaw known the ‘cyclo’ was first introduced in the city. This was Phnom Penh at its colonial apex, reputed to be the most beautiful city in French Indochina.<br /><br /><img align="left" border="0" height="185" hspace="10" src="http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/phnom-penh-page-images/PH-History5.jpg" vspace="2" width="300" />Independence from France came in 1954, issuing in a period of considerable urban and commercial development and the beginning of the distinctive 'New Khmer Architecture,' reflected in existing structures such as the Independence Monument and Chaktomuk Theatre. Factories, roads, markets, power plants and hundreds of shophouse-style apartments were built, giving the city much of its current appearance. This all came to an abrupt end with the Lon Nol coup of 1970 and Cambodia's descent into war between the government and the communist Khmer Rouge (KR.) As the Khmer Rouge took over the countryside in the early 1970s Phnom Penh became swollen with refugees. In 1974 the city was lain siege and eventually cut off, finally falling to the Khmer Rouge on April 17, 1975. Three days after the fall the city was totally evacuated, leading to thousands of deaths. Though some workers and Khmer Rouge remained in Phnom Penh, the city was essentially a ghost town until the Khmer Rouge fled the invading Vietnamese army December 1978-January 1979, leaving behind evidence of their horrors such as the S-21 facility, now known as the Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum.<br /><br />When people returned to the city after the Khmer Rouge period, it was a shambles, largely intact but thoroughly looted and neglected. Restarting the city began from scratch. As low level war continued in the western provinces, the 1980s saw Phnom Penh repopulated and revitalization begun. The city was scoured and basic services were re-established. Phnom Penh’s population grew from 100,000 at the end of 1979 to 615,000 by 1990.<br /><br />In 1991 UNTAC (United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia) began its 2 year administration of the country as part of a UN brokered peace agreement leading to national elections in 1993. After years of isolation, Cambodia was suddenly open for business. International investment started to flow into the country and Cambodia was back the tourist map as the newest adventure destination. The city saw the beginning of a period of economic and urban development that has continued to this day. There was a flurry of new construction in the 1990's including most of the distinctive 'wedding cake villas.' With the final demise of the Khmer Rouge in 1998 and increased stability, development accelerated. The 2000's have seen another boom in Phnom Penh. The city’s population has increased to near 2,000,000, there has been significant infrastructure improvement and recently the first high rise structures have been built, giving considerable change to the skyline and architectural character of the city. Phnom Penh is now a city in the midst of rapid change.</span></div>  <a href="http://www.canbypublications.com/phnompenh/pphistory.htm">Read More...... </a>

Cambodia Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital History, sits at the junction of the Mekong and Tonlé Sap rivers.

People have inhabited parts of Southeast Asia since the early Stone Age, and the ancestors of the Khmer people have been in the area fo...

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Khmer Boxing or Pradal Serey Pradal Serey, the ancient fighting style of the Khmers

<div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pradal Serey, or Khmer Boxing, means "free fighting” in the Khmer language.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Muay_Thai_Boran_1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="325" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ea/Muay_Thai_Boran_1.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <o:p></o:p><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Since the first time I saw it I was always fascinated with SE Asian Kickboxing.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Watching these fighters using their elbows and knees was something I had never seen before. Time went by and eventually the UFC began. We watched as Jui Jitsu and later wrestling dominated the sport. As time went on more and more fighters were learning how to use there hands. For this fighters were told to learn Muay Thai and many of them came to Thailand to learn.<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/imXcux0i1o0/hqdefault.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="http://i.ytimg.com/vi/imXcux0i1o0/hqdefault.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> <o:p></o:p><br /> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">The reason the world calls this ancient sport Muay Thai is because the Thai people<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">were the first to market this style of fighting to the west. In fact this form of fighting has<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">its roots in the Khmer empire dating nearly 1000 years before Siam (Thailand) was even<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">a country. Starting with Bokator and later refined into a more condensed fighting style<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">Pradal Serey is the first place in the world where the fighters made effective use of<o:p></o:p></span></div> <div class="MsoNormal"> </div> <div class="MsoNormal"> <span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 14.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;">punches, kicks, elbows and knees.</span><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 6.0pt; mso-ascii-theme-font: major-latin; mso-bidi-font-size: 7.0pt; mso-hansi-theme-font: major-latin;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>

Cambodia Khmer Boxing or Pradal Serey Pradal Serey, the ancient fighting style of the Khmers

Pradal Serey, or Khmer Boxing, means "free fighting” in the Khmer language. Since the first time I saw it I was always fascinat...

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Khmer Lifestyle Phnom Penh Cambodia

<div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> The Khmer were faced with incredibly rich cultures, such as the Chinese, the French, and the Indians, which lead to <strong>various</strong> <strong>borrowings</strong>: religious forms, new languages and dialects, arts and crafts, and many traditions and holidays. On the other hand, local geography influenced these borrowings to such a degree that today one can rarely see a set of beliefs or traditions in Cambodia that hasn’t been influenced by local structures.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/276/7/e/lifestyle_in_cambodia___109_by_samlim-d301bub.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="http://fc03.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/276/7/e/lifestyle_in_cambodia___109_by_samlim-d301bub.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div> <h2 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 26.39px; margin: 30px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"> COMPLEX TRADITIONS OF A DISTINCTIVE CULTURE</h2> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> Most of Cambodian traditions are related to their agricultural way of life and to a circular calendar. As such, just like many other cultures, they have grown customs for specific moments of the year. Cambodians are open to syncretism, but up to a point. Trying to impose a new lifestyle in rural communities may prove both risky and futile. Modern changes created a certain discrepancy between urban and rural life, visible even during a one-week trip.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.positiveriskmanagement.com/siteimages/cambodia%20angkor%20wat.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="225" src="http://www.positiveriskmanagement.com/siteimages/cambodia%20angkor%20wat.jpg" width="400" /></a></div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> With the predominant religion being <strong>Theravada Buddhism</strong> (accounting for more than 90% of the total population), holidays are highly influenced by faith. New Year’s Eve, the birth of a child, their joyful and vivid weddings, resembling Malaysian weddings, everything is related to faith and to the general belief that men are a part of nature. This is the main reason why Cambodians don’t assign dramatic features to death as Western societies do. The cultural ensemble is rather a combination of hope and anticipation of a better life. travel</div> <h2 style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 24px; letter-spacing: -1px; line-height: 26.39px; margin: 30px 0px 15px; padding: 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"> ARTS AND LIFESTYLE</h2> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> The arts and literature of Cambodia should be regarded as a direct consequence of the specific development of the country. In this case in particular, it encompasses a rich written culture and various crafts which evolved to the point where they earned a distinct identity. You can easily find silversmiths in Cambodia, as well as stone carvers, and painters. Pottery making and painting is still widely developed, even if globalization tends to affect it, as it does to other traditional crafts.<br /> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <img border="0" height="265" src="http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/Dancers_angkor_wat.jpg" width="400" /></div> </div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> In Cambodia, during a representation of a <strong>shadow theatre</strong> (Nang sbek) the story is said using a combination of dance, rhythmic poetry, songs, and miming, and the scene is merely a projection, instead of a “real” representation. Dance is very important throughout the country. <strong>Folk dances</strong>like Trot, Sneak Toseay, or Robam Kom Araek are fascinating and styles vary from one place to another.</div> <div style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 22.39px; margin-bottom: 15px; padding: 0px;"> In order to understand lifestyle, you need to spend more time in Cambodia than you may initially think. In general, there’s a notable gap between urban and rural life. Patriarchal traditions coexist with local beliefs, and people are generally friendly and have a positive nature, which is mainly rooted in religion.<br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <img alt="Apsaras-Angkor 2008" height="333" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3169/3058332291_4e05816c76.jpg" style="border-radius: 5px; border: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 20px 0px 0px; padding: 10px;" width="500" /><iframe width="320" height="266" class="YOUTUBE-iframe-video" data-thumbnail-src="https://i.ytimg.com/vi/c0hZGYqWuR0/0.jpg" src="?feature=player_embedded" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe></div> </div>

Cambodia Khmer Lifestyle Phnom Penh Cambodia

The Khmer were faced with incredibly rich cultures, such as the Chinese, the French, and the Indians, which lead to  various   borrowings :...

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Sbek Thom: Khmer Shadow Theater, Wayang Kamboja

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygStcfTknsaJ-VGPfABTgtJ-qYE20Zdv9ZVLEvKG80NqLk_L2UTvdkATcsLttRDA6Y49yQjG-n-ZAhsRcqa45Ul4yEvqkj2SLQGsA04_v-88hVJKEyq3gJVtYywtmJC4RlJRWiokLO_Q/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygStcfTknsaJ-VGPfABTgtJ-qYE20Zdv9ZVLEvKG80NqLk_L2UTvdkATcsLttRDA6Y49yQjG-n-ZAhsRcqa45Ul4yEvqkj2SLQGsA04_v-88hVJKEyq3gJVtYywtmJC4RlJRWiokLO_Q/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="wiki-text" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.7600002288818px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 0px;"> The Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre featuring twometre high, non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. Dating from before the Angkorian period, the Sbek Thom, along with the Royal Ballet and mask theatre, is considered sacred. Dedicated to the divinities, performances could only take place on specific occasions three or four times a year, such as the Khmer New Year, the King’s birthday or the veneration of famous people. After the fall of Angkor in the fifteenth century, the shadow theatre evolved beyond a ritualistic activity to become an artistic form, while retaining its ceremonial dimension.</div> <div class="wiki-text" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.7600002288818px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 0px;"> The puppets are made from a single piece of leather in a special ceremony for each character representing gods and deities. The hides are dyed with a solution made from the bark of the Kandaol tree. The artisan draws the desired figure on the tanned hide, then cuts it out and paints it before attaching it to two bamboo sticks enabling the dancer to control the puppet.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://www.h6.dion.ne.jp/~fcc/fcc11.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="195" src="http://www.h6.dion.ne.jp/~fcc/fcc11.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div class="wiki-text" style="font-family: Arial; font-size: 11.7600002288818px; line-height: 1.4em; margin-bottom: 5px; padding: 0px;"> The performances traditionally take place at night outdoors beside a rice-field or pagoda. A large white backdrop is held between two tall bamboo screens in front of a large fire or, nowadays, projectors. The shadows of the puppet’s silhouettes are projected onto the white screen. The animators bring the puppets to life with precise and specific dance steps. The performance is accompanied by an orchestra and two narrators. Inspired from the Reamker, the Khmer version of the Ramayana, the performances stage scenes of this epic, which may last several nights and require up to 160 puppets for a single presentation. Many of them were destroyed under the repressive Khmer Rouge regime, which almost annihilated this sacred art. Since 1979, Sbek Thom has been gradually revitalized thanks to the few surviving artists. So far, three shadow theatres have managed to rise from their ashes, ensuring the transmission of the knowledge and skills, including those relating to puppet making.</div>

Cambodia CAMBODIAN SHADOWS Sbek Thom: Khmer Shadow Theater, Wayang Kamboja

The Sbek Thom is a Khmer shadow theatre featuring twometre high, non-articulated puppets made of leather openwork. Dating from before the...

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CAMBODIAN SHADOWS,WAYANG KAMBOJA

<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="http://archives.thestar.com.my/archives/2012/7/10/north/file65n01prwu29yysqcl2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="http://archives.thestar.com.my/archives/2012/7/10/north/file65n01prwu29yysqcl2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 24px 0px 0px; text-align: justify;"> Sbek Thom, great Cambodian shadow theatre</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> The great Cambodian shadow theatre is quite original. Indeed, unlike the Ayang, it is not composed of  the shadows of forms or objects created by the projection of light onto a white screen. Originally, the brazier was behind the screen and the leather puppets were held at arm’s length by dancing puppeteers who manipulated them in front of the audience.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Contrary to the Ayang puppets, these ones are made of one whole piece and are not articulated. The screen is ten metres long and four metres high. The leather puppets, held at a height of one metre sixty, are made with precision according to strict rules and the fabrication is punctuated by rituals which are supposed to bestow the protection of the gods and the spirits on them. When the craftsman creates the ox hide panels, he must respect certain rules which tradition has rendered unchangeable. Here again the most important thing is not inventiveness but rather the respect of a sacred process. One variation on the great shadow theatre uses dyed puppets cut out of more moderately sized leather panels.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Holding the leather puppets above their heads, the dancers perform a choreography which closely resembles that of the Lokhon khol and exactly reproduces the themes taken from the Reamker, the Cambodian version of the Ramayana. The leather bearing dancers are accompanied by a pin peat orchestra and by two narrators who are the masters of ceremony.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygStcfTknsaJ-VGPfABTgtJ-qYE20Zdv9ZVLEvKG80NqLk_L2UTvdkATcsLttRDA6Y49yQjG-n-ZAhsRcqa45Ul4yEvqkj2SLQGsA04_v-88hVJKEyq3gJVtYywtmJC4RlJRWiokLO_Q/s1600/Capture.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="205" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygStcfTknsaJ-VGPfABTgtJ-qYE20Zdv9ZVLEvKG80NqLk_L2UTvdkATcsLttRDA6Y49yQjG-n-ZAhsRcqa45Ul4yEvqkj2SLQGsA04_v-88hVJKEyq3gJVtYywtmJC4RlJRWiokLO_Q/s320/Capture.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Already in decline before 1970, the great shadow theatre was cruelly hit by the war. A complete set of large leather puppets has recently been restored. Dancers are being trained by the two narrators who survived. A leather workshop has been re- created at the Vat Bo in Siem Reap, a town where a new troupe was formed after young dancers had been trained by the rare survivors. The first public performance, organized by the Centre Culturel Français, took place on September 27th 1997.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> The Reamker, Khmer Ramayana</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> The Reamker, the Khmer Ramayana, said to date from the beginning of the second millennium, differs from the original Brahminee legend in many ways, firstly because it is much more concise, conferring a decisive role on Hanuman, king of the monkeys, and on Sovanna Maccha, the mermaid who tries to foil Hanuman’s plans when the latter, with the help of his army, attempts to save Sita, prisoner of the demon Ravana on the Isle of Lanka.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Furthermore, the divine attributes of the deity, Rama- the reincarnation of the god Vishnu in the Hindu pantheon – disappear, leaving a more ‘realistic’ hero, powerful yet vulnerable at the same time, who belongs more to the world of mortals than that of the gods.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> This performance highlights the three main episodes of the Reamker, telling the tale of the alliance between Prince Rama and Princess Sita, the wiles used by the demon Ravana to abduct Sita and ensnare Rama, the liberation of Sita by Hanuman, king of the monkeys, and his army, Sita’s putting to the test by Rama and Sita’s exile with the hermit Eisei.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <br /></div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtPU9YCwyELnDP22jUc9I5K3R9tXRW47n8KJcJhhh9S38nHb6-9FJSz_7peZcDxKZqkflRz1oewtz0oYs9jvogXK_m3XJ8G2Xryb_dTdrdOaBsUR14mZlDuc5bAubrhYHLedM29n0kvA/s1600/Capturetouch.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="162" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKtPU9YCwyELnDP22jUc9I5K3R9tXRW47n8KJcJhhh9S38nHb6-9FJSz_7peZcDxKZqkflRz1oewtz0oYs9jvogXK_m3XJ8G2Xryb_dTdrdOaBsUR14mZlDuc5bAubrhYHLedM29n0kvA/s320/Capturetouch.JPG" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> The Sbek Touch, small Cambodian Shadow Theatre</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Derived from ancestral forms of Indian and Malay shadow theatre, the small Khmer shadow theatre, Sbek Touch, already existed in the ninth century A.D., if the epigraphs are to be believed.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Thus nicknamed ayang, with reference to the ayai – impromptu satirical jousts between men and women -   the “little leather” shadow theatre with its articulated puppets, proves to be more delightful and closer to the preoccupations of village people than either the “great leather” shadow theatre Sbek Thom or the coloured shadow theatre Sbek Pouch destined for the court.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Very popular in the country, beloved by children and adults alike, the performance begins at sunset among the paddy fields and may last for several hours.</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> <a href="http://wa1.www.unesco.org/culture/ich/img/photo/thumb/00488-BIG.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="211" src="http://wa1.www.unesco.org/culture/ich/img/photo/thumb/00488-BIG.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> A delightful bestiary: from wit to wisdom</div> <div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: Arial, helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; letter-spacing: 0.360000014305115px; line-height: 16.7999992370605px; padding: 0px; text-align: justify;"> Popular rivalry, covetousness, comical misunderstandings and sharp plays on words: Sbek Touch scenes are simply a number of masked satires of the human condition and its many failings. Under the guise of parodies and stories about animals, the sbek touch is perfectly cut out to educate and inform.<br /> The performance is traditionally divided into two parts: the first contains two stories whose unchanging frame must nevertheless be filled out with numerous improvisations. The second part, which usually draws on Khmer tales, presents scenes specifically created for this performance. From the farcical fighting monkeys sva so and sva khemao to the story of Chul Krobey’s churlish cows, a whole range of beasts battle merrily with each other accompanied by the bright boisterous rhythms of the pin-peat orchestra and popular ditties. Interweaving with humorous dialogues and all kinds of interjections, the music plays a more preponderant part in the battle scenes. Unlike the small Thai shadow theatre, each puppet has its own puppeteer.</div> <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> <br /></div> <br />

Cambodia CAMBODIAN SHADOWS CAMBODIAN SHADOWS,WAYANG KAMBOJA

Sbek Thom, great Cambodian shadow theatre The great Cambodian shadow theatre is quite original. Indeed, unlike the Ayang, it is not com...

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