MULTICULTURAL MANNERS : Splashy Start to Cambodian New Year
Mrs. Buranen’s normally well-behaved seventh-graders are exceptionally noisy and boisterous this April day. In the hall and on the playground, numerous students keep throwing water at each other. Back inside the classroom, an exasperated Mrs. Buranen is about to reprimand them when her excited teacher’s aide steps forward urges her to “Wait.”
What went wrong?
The aide, a Cambodian immigrant, pointed out to Mrs. Buranen that it was April 13, Cambodian New Year. Throwing water at Mrs. Buranen was the children’s way of wishing her good luck for the coming year.
The Cambodian New Year is reckoned by the lunar calendar, the same calendar that sets dates for both the Chinese and Vietnamese new years. However, centuries ago Cambodian astrologers changed the timing of the celebration from the more usual mid-February date, when rice was still being harvested, to mid-April, when the harvest was finished and people were ready to have fun.
Rule: One culture’s way of celebrating new year, such as the Cambodian ritual of throwing water to confer blessings, may seem offensive until we know the custom.
Sign up for Essential California
The most important California stories and recommendations in your inbox every morning.
You may occasionally receive promotional content from the Los Angeles Times.
