CHAPT'"!R II

THE F»1ILY INSTITUTION (IN TH~ VARIOUS AGES AND ITS OEVELOP!(£HT)

1. The Or~anisation of Family Lite

In Cambodia like other countrie1 in the world, the family is the most iaportant factor in the composition or society. It is the "basis of social atructure".1 lt is therefore classified to be the first amonF, social institu­ tions which Buddhism has dealt with since its 9Stablishment in Cambodia.

The family life organization has a numb~r of aspects which we should consider such a3: ~ho gene~al s~ope of the family, modes of life of t:1e .fa:lily, r91Rtio'l between the sexes, marriage, divorce, birth, ctisp.>sal of the dead, mourning, ghosts, and festival of the dead.

I . rhe General Scope of the Fa~ily: Both the rural family and the urban family are proud and fatalistic. Even if there is a difference between the standards or their living, their ways of life are related to each other. The family of five chilrlren is enerally considered ideal. This is for any family in a lo~er incon~e group thou~h it is not compuleory. Somehow, the low r income family has more child­ rP.n thc-11 1-heo higher income fam:tly.

I I . ·odes of Life o~ the Family: In society each group ot small families occupies a separate house, owns ita ~ice paddy and a vegetable garden and plana and opera~ea aa an independent unit. The major domestic, social, and religioua activities, as well as the minor shared activities or daily lite are handled by the members of the irrmediate family and others. There are some other illportant modes of life which ha.e to be mentioned here, such as the residence, duty or func­ tion, property, dress and decoration,food, and pattern of works.

(a) Reside~ce2 : In ~tral areas, for a lower income

£amilv, t~e house is rectangular and made of wood, ot nine columns (som~ ~ouses have twelve columna), thatched (in older times; nO\'i the houses have roofs that cov~red by tiles) and there are four roorns. Some "D80D1e make the kitchen behind the house, some houses have f()ur rooms including one kitchen roaa and one sitting room. Some people make a vArandah in front ot the house. All the agricultural instruments are usuall y kept under the house. It is necessary for each family to have at least a vegetable P,arden near the house. For a hi~her income family, the house is sometimes made of wood also but the root is made of zinc. Some hous~s have nine columns, some have twelve columna and some have fifteen columna and more or fewer rooms. There is a big or small altar of a Buddha statue and a s~bol of m1cestors for worship in each house of each rural family, besides, there is some furniture also. The houses of wealthy families, especially in urban centres, are spacious villas, affording privacy. Such a house 66 may contai~ three or four rooms and have a large verandah. In case of lower income families in the cities, houses are similar to those o£ lo\te r income families in rural areaa. The only difference is in terms of psychological pride of urban life, which existed previously. In the houses of those urban families who are faithful to Buddhism, a big or small altar of Buddha statue and a s~bol of ancestors are built for worship. • (b) Duty or Function31 In rural families husbands play an important role in agriculture becauce th£y do thinga like plou hir.t; and sowing. ltusbanda anc! wives ~:ork together when •t is time to transplant the rice. In gene1al, ho~ever , women are .fully occupied with the household choree. 'ia.nen's influence on the mines of childt·sn regnrr·ir.e moral values ia stronger. Generally, in C&r"lbcdian f'a. !lies, ~beth r rural or ur an, the lvet: are responsible f or looking aft er the house and the fa~ily's t re &~ur ~ . to eover, in CaTJbodia, aluost all women are usually re!pons1hle for rnarkoting or shopping or sellin ~ things, and en are devoted to oth~r tech~i cal and heavy work. In urban at·nas tho duties of husbands and wivea de end on the @con rnic Ltutus f the f&milr. Previously it was possible for urban fa rnili~s not t o take part in fannin~ , but no~ it is i~po!siblP.. So the rlut1ea of rurul and urban .ta:-t1 lies today a. e not ntir ly different. The distinction betwp•n t e duti a of rur 1 far1lias and those of urban families is ot cH ffc?O~nt ' i .ds ot : cbn that they do, but different aspects of the oame jobs. In add1t1cn to uties and function• of a Cambodian family, some other important factors have alao 67 been empha~ised. Widows or widowers are responsible by them­ selves for their children and property. In Cambodia, widows and widowers are respected, because they have a full ri~ht to get remarried after a few days of the death o£ the husband or the wife.

In C~bodia children receive training for their duties both at home and in educational institutions (since school upto university). At home the sons learn from the father to work hard in technical jobs, the dnu~nters learn £rom their mother household chores. The c lX of all th~ir training is

social involve ent. Along with the subject of t~eir study they learn to beco~e ~ood m~mbers of soctotv. Dur~ng their young impressionable years, the chil Gn are s nt to monasteries,

schools or other ~overnmental Instituti.ons which inculcate a strong sensa of morality in the childr n. So, att9r they come out of these institutions, it is easier for them to adjust to social lite.

So it can be s en that family discipline is v ry strong in Cambodia. As such, it can be noted that ,irls get less rr ~dom than boys in terms of their own intel~al behaviour not in terms of social rl~hts . Girls \lere merely sub,ject ci to stricter customs and laws. The ideal moral tension as aore demanded only in the past for irls, but nowadays since Cambodia had ref'ormed ita social structure which is based on a 'classless society' since April 17, 1975, both boys and girls are equally moraliaed. Both boys and girls and their moral conduct a ~ defined by •Cambodian Democratic Constitu­ tion' which has been promulgated by the present Cambodian Government on JanuRry ) , 1976. Besides, another important cuty of the parents is to

arrange the marria ~ea of sons and daughters. The marriage altould be profitable a.1d socially accepted.

(e) ~ropertz: In Cambodia, the family property ia

enjoyed by ti-t~ im~"1-3diat (olos13) relat i ·r s - fathe , motnar,

brot"ler, sister and so on. Jistant r elattvns could also ~et

the b~1nfit, ")f fm1ily-prona:-t:•, if thP-1 are offor~d aids.

(The sharing forrJ.ly pronf'rt7,r or inhori tan '.!~ , seo d t ails in

Sect.1on J of t~1is chapter. )

(d) 'Jress and Decoration: Tl.. &.ditionally, "'men uear

Sor1pot - a piece of ..:loth r olled bet~'leon the legs and round

lcine so as to l'~rm l'lide breeches - anc't, vQry oftE>n, a straight

buttoned jacket.. !he WOi11en also wear the Sompot (and so,.l•­

titiies in the prov.inces far removed frl)!Il the capit.al, a p~tt i­ coat, or languti, f ormin a skirt) , ud a tmtio tight at t.he waist and wri&t$ and op~n at tne br~ast. V ry often, the

place of t.his t unic i s takPn up by an acoordion-pleatec.l scarf, of a bri ht colour, whiCil leaves the back ancf t he al"IT's un­

cov ~red. Both uen and \·loL1en ':Tear ~~ht:.:A. r hair cut lil:o a brush,

or very snort and push~d back. '.i.'h sy are quito 1 ~norant of

savage muti lation3. In the ~OtJntry, the Homan ntill continue

to l ve 1- r~~ holeo picr·cot! in tl.eil'" a:.c~ 11 trhic h they ·Hear wooden or ~etal studs; thin cu nto~ lat~r on shows a tendency 69 to disapp0ar completely. ""' In t~ e modern times, the above­ mentioned traditional dreas and decoration are worn only on the occasion of the Cambodian New Year Day, ~raditional Social Gather1.nrr:, tleligious Celebration, \'ledding Day, Cambodian Cultural Shows, and National Ballet Dances. Durinp, the work­ ing days the peoDle ordinarily wear the simple dress which consists of trousers, shirt; and coat for men; the longi

(Somloy or skir t ) or loin cloth f o t ~lo 10n.

Moreover, in t"le modern times, different t.lOdels o1· dress and liecoration are f ounrl. At home, men sordetimes wear

Saron~ ( lOJL~i), and sorTi e 1~1rnos Kho Khlei (Lx·e~uhos); some men also wear silk-t.L'"Ousers and silk-jacket either at home or on any snecial day. ~ven sill,-lon ~i could be v~orn also during a festival by u1ost of the p-entlornen and t ttu lettrnod men. JjUt men usually wear trousArs an:i s ~drts -w ;,eu t.'hey go outside the house , working nays, and durln?, sevaral i'estival:l. Along with vestments for decorating the body, men, especially in urban areas, use overcoat, necktie, knot, socks, ~lovQs , s~oes, hat, belt, wrist-waten, ring (according to the Cambodian trad~tion 1

Cambodians wear ring only on the little fin ~ar and the ring fin~er), spectacles, chain, perfumes, coconut oil and other oils. Both at home and outside and even duri.nr; f estivals women usually wear SoDlloy (a kla.d o£ long!} or skirt and shirt.

It is worn both in t~e rural and urban areas. A:nong most of the young Cambodian irls, Somloys are very co-nmon. hile amongst most of tne ladies in t he rural areas, the loin-clothea 70

are vnry cn~ on . ~l~ng with tho vestments for decorating the body, women also could use aone ornanents like the ones the men use. Some e-re different such as necklace, ear-ring&, bracelets 3tc. As far as hracel et1s are cmtcerned some men uae them too. Now, as reg&rds '1air d:"e s s.tnt; , in the modern t imes, men usually have thoir ha1r cut into diff er,nt fashions which have

the following nanns: J:at-Sak-Ro1:1ba (Bonb~ i1a5.r cut} , Kat-Sak­

Chrong (Cht·ong hair cut), Knt-~ak-Phka - 7hi' OV (l'nkov flov1er

hair cut), Kat-Sak-Spei-Ktob (~ahba~e-cov~r hair cut), Kat­

Sak-Longsong (Lonrsong 1air out), Kat-Sa ~- gotel (Hotel hair

cut), and ~at - Sak- Khlei - Dha,~ata (ordinary short hair cut) .

1 In the olden times, t le9e kinds ,,£ bair-cut l,.Y re also used.

In the oase o£ ~o~e~ both tn mo~ern and anciqnt times, the '

· Bombe nair cut , Ghronp: hair "' t • 'fl-tkov-fl~w~r hair cut are

used. rhe othe r ki nde of h.q 1.r drf.!s~i.n~ for uo·mm which could

be seen is that of cur.leci-hair ~ress 1 n~ . It is vAry co~~on

amon st those women wh o live iTJ tho urban a-r-Pa~ . But this

fashion re~alned only f or ~ cert1in period w i ch was called

'curlerl hair f ashion p~riocl '. •r 12n it soon di sap'Oeared. It

existed >el"l'lllf)S fro ·1 1953 upt" 1960. Soras urban tlo'llen still

rou ~hly contiuue to have it. upto 1965 or 1969, snecially in

the wt~talt.hy fal"lili~s. Ft)r tYi fori!tal o t ~,rl c nf l sdi'lS' hair

d ressing in Canbodia, som~ WOJJen usually 1:oP-p 'their long hair upto the waist, some keep thPir tonp; hair unto the middle ot

the back froM thG neck, and some keep their sl}ort ~la ir from the top of t he head upto the net-k, touching the shoulders. 71

These three kinds of fornal 9tyle amo~~st women hair dressing

are very com~~n for all ~arried and unmarried women, most

ladies, a!ld yolln~ ~irls :tn t'le rn!ltiern timas as 'l'!ll se in the

ancient times. "P1oreo"JAr, eom~ young an1 old ladies in both urban and rural areas roll thAir hair up 1 nto a bun.

(e) Food: Generally, "the ~ambodians, like almost all

the races of tr'le Far East, ar· extremely frugal, t~v=-i r chief food bein · rice. Fres:1 ur saltod fi!:n , ub r Jus ttnd le 'Uminous

pl. ants, a11d somet.ime,.. por : ~, a.:-a aluo ,,at.Jn. is . steless

1 • f er:nen t.'3 d sa l c r;... . s ... , t .!1 <' s i c (~~:11.ng ~rtr- 11 ' :i,., 0:11; dis-

aP.reca to. 1he uamuodians drlnk \ia ~ez• Or' vtln 1 V'3r7.r S'lldom

alcol1ol. T1l r•y usA ·obu c c ~ an c 1A"t / b"'tsl; the use of opium

is a v ice cortfln~d t o a f , .. of t a tr [.tor.n r] rnandarin3. It

D11ould also b ! ent.ion r.-~ t .,at th~ 'hmers •JR~ frutt [mo3t of t!lc tloos] ld t hou+; \ta1c.in ~ or it r.o ri;;~ ."5 Alo ll~ ·lfith tl-tese traditional principn patterns of f ood which existed frc;-1 the

olden 1:imea, coconut drinks, palm drinks, C~"l~ d~nks tc.

are also o be fo~nd.

ao\'rf\ver, in t l ~ :~ od('rn ti.l..,es, there are various kinds

of fo"1 , lrinks, an s·1~=-ts • ':'lic!l have been deri·re'i fro'T\ the

for1er pattorns ~f foods. T~osc varicus ktnds of food and

b~vers-as c~n~ist vf (1) Ric• , it is divid~d i~to two types­

one is cco'd.n!!: ri "19 {it hs s a plair. cooked ric~) 111 1 .. h Cambo­

dians call it "?ayr, and t~e ot~er i~ bo1l~d rice (poridge) wr.tch Ca~bodiane ~~11 it "Bobor"; (ii) Soup, various types ot 72 soup, generally of two kinds - watery and less-watery, and both kinds have separate names: Khdia Soup (it is dealt with major coconut), •ichou Soup (Sour Soup), Kokor Soup (mixed aoup), Prahir Soup (it is dealt with one kind of the tree leaves which has a strong smell, ia not available in India), Kari (curry), and Ordinary Soup; (iii} Boiled products (vegetarian and non-vegetarian); (iv) Boiled non-vegetarian products with h~nted sugar; and (v) fried products (vegetarian and non- ve etarian). 'r e COJlmon ingredients used are ve ,etables like e r,g plante, o- ourd, raw papaya, beantJ, pwnpkin, stems of water lilies , -nor.1in; lorif!s, cabbnge, potatoes, to:natoes etc.; a"' p ~t1z rs like ta t."l arin~ , nepper, gin rr~ r, sugar, salt, ~arlic, onion , l a·non , l~uon-~rass, "' nillies etc.; non-vegetarian produ~ts lik~ fr sh fts~, fer.~~nted fish, dried fish, s~oked fi ~h of various kinds ru1d various ty p~s of meat too. ~g~e are ~lso C OZ\'!f'!'IOn . The rocd i~ ~t!a soned \'lith T.)8nper , chillies, garlic, a 'l.rl le...., on for tast~. The coWlon bavera ~e s are juices of frui tu l i:ca O!'tmga'3, pn"'aya , r.1a:1 :.,o, ni.neaople ate.; ripe r .c- 1'1. ts lP~:'J o!· ge , '.Jana.'la , 1ango , papaya, gua"'l/a, ~rapes, pi1cappl~, app 1 ~, Jt c. ; sw et1 b~ ilod rtce; and various ki~'ldD of cakes a.n1 c'1oco l at~s . '!ilk, ~ offe q, and machi.nery wat9r oroduct~ ~uch s ooca~ola, soda, fanta, co~e etc., are als~ co il-::t on.

n conclusion it could be noted t!lat Ca bodians usually e at. s o- 1~~.. bing sweet as dess9:::-t . ·r an they have tea. Lat.er they en joy a s ,ok~ or c~e,_., betel !'luts. TJ

(f) Pattern of Works: Cambodian families confine thal.ll­ selvee chiefly to cultivating the products which grow natur­ ally in the land. n1~ey are mostly farmers and fishermen, hunters and wood-cutters. They cultivate a good many varieties of rice, catch enormous quantities of fish, to be consumed fresh, salted, or fermented. They also extract yearly about

3,000,000 kilogram of palm-sugar. Their industr~ and co~erce rlre not very brisk; but t.ney weave sill{ and cotton mat\!riala whi .... h re very h ar.ionious in colour ana d".slJn, li 'l&Y a1 e very

ntlfact~ra spleudid ~ano~s out

are ac~ually shown f or the pasv pe.1."'ious , eo.:~p.,ci:.a. lly during "the yon;:'$ ot' 1910a, hut th. y can ba taken t. o l· : ontinuing in t e r: .cent yeo.:-a -~.. oo. J~or over, sine Cw.bort i a r:) ~ai'.nod i ts i.ndependenco :tn 1953 and ·ot succoua in ne ~evolution on

April 17, 1975, C.,r.'\bod:i.c...n f :rl.li e 5 are uC~;:;i ve in vnriou6 fields of ne~worKs nloo.

7 III. Relation b~tween the Sexes: As it is said, the organization of the fAmily in Cambodia is stron~ly knit, and their r.Jorals ar~ str.i.ct~r than lihose of most of lih'=lir neigh­ bouring cow1tries und the countries of t 1e E'ar &ast. Ii' one atudiEtd t he rt-lation betwoen the sexes, i!l CambOflia , or1e can s•e that sex-education is not co~o~ becausg it i s felt that l'l.lCn knowledge cu.n l ~ad t o desire and eventual trouble • .:;uch a suspected fnar was nore true i n t 'l.e past r ather than in the present. In the past, the P,: irls t''ere usually i gnorant of 74 the functioning of the sex. For instance, the girl received knowledge of sex only on the wedding night, during a feast. The girl was taken aside by the parents and Achar (Lay­ Buddhist teacher) and they explained to her the basic facta of sex. This happens because one of the customs which a ~irl has to observe ia that of the custom of "going into the snade" before her marriage. This custom enforces strict living on her past and the di sciplines she has to follow is similar to the ones follo\'red by Buddhist monks. Why does this happen only to a girl? Because, in the former times, Cambodians believed that a girl's fate is easily spoiled than a boy'•·

Moreover, a ~i rl's fate is compared to light things, - cotton, or glass, or white paper, or white cloth which is easily broken, and soiled. \iben it becomes dirty, it is difficult to wash; though it can be washed but it does not become pure

White as before. Particularly, i~ is because of a girl is to be paid a bride-price by a boy. Therefore a girl must be a virgin. And that is why, the problem of' vir~nity of a girl still exists in t he hearts of the people during the time. A boy's fate is not much based on "virginity", because a boy' a tate is compared to hard things, like atone, or wood , or black cloth, or red cloth et c. which ia not easily broken or sullied. If it i~ dirty or broken, it is easily repaired or w&shed . Particularly, a boy is not to be paid a bride groo~ price by a girl. Therefore f or a boy is not so much necessary to be strictly a bachelor, but at tno same time a boy also must not violate the rules of social morality. 75

The above-mentioned state ents show that sex relation seemed to distinguish a boy from a girl, but in practice there is quite a lot of free-mixing. It is worth describing one ot the ames which is popularly played with a scart. It is rolled into a ball and it is rapidly passed (with sexual invitation) around a roup of young boys and girls. tn alternatinr. chants with rhymed responses, the boys make ur~ent pl as and the rls nnmtP-r eoquettir,hly; the lyrics or one of t he chants used durin~ the 1atAr Fest1val are :~ "It has rained nuch this year The riv~r has overflown There will be much joy and rice All t ho wo~en will be ~ith child either by their husbands or by their lovers, it does not matter much which Cambodian& love all night, Vietnamese a~l day long People say t~ at French wo"en are only in love during the evening Girls! Take ott your sampots (clothes) so that I may see which one or you I like the best o·ne ! You are cunning, b~1t I am in love! You are cunnin , but you will grow lar e with child and you will feed my sucking children".

Such verbal licence in ames and chante which were in vogue from ancient times to modern times, they m1 ht bring a hi~h pitch of excitement; but premarital consummation is conde:nned.

In conclusion, howav r , 1t ~an be eaid that thou h ancient values are still respected by t 1e Ca,Abo~ians, their 76

'practices' have changed. Though 'v1r -1n1ty' is etill valued, the importance given to virginity and the people' e attitude to'llards it have changed. Previously they were narrow-minded

about it but now they have beco~e more reasonable and broad­ minded. The 'ideal' was good but it is outdated in an indus­ trial society of modern times whenever social, educational, econo ic, and political developments are needed more and more

for building and d efe ndin~ the happiness and pro"ress to be

prosperous. The working class peonle are nee~ssarily needed

and there is ~o more unemploy-1ant. This new revolutionary

ideal had r~forned all for~er inae~iva tr ditio~s to be active

traditions, former fol~-moralities to be more reasonable

moraliti .s, f cr ::ter distinctions betue~n rural and urban peopl e

to be rn orally o1ual, for~er far contacts between rich and

poor t o be close in co~tacts either paycholo ical or ~hysical ,

form ~r littl~ cooperrtti.on bet'le"'n boys and irls (males and tomales) to be most cooperative and courteous, and so on.

IV. i·,arriage: About marriage, in this section, I "trill

make only a few general remarks becausa it will ~e dealt v1ith in d4!tail in the next section. ·iarriage 1 s an important social institution among others, which is the basis of family life. !·1arr1age brings together two straneers and ...1akes them rela­ tives. In Cambodia, especially monogamy is highly appreciated all the time. Cambodian philosophy erects social lifo on the

basis or '•orality', 'justice' , 'legality', ~~d 'goodness' .

It goes hand in hand with Budd~ist ~ oral philosophy or social ethics which strictly prohibit polyga~ous and other kinde or marriages, as it ia said ''I undertake to observe the precept to abstain from sexual misconduct". Marriage ia a social sanction for a couple to stay together.

However, human nature is such that it cannot be satis­ fied easily. Many malpractices were introduced during the ninety years (la63-l953 A.D.) of French colonialism in Cambodia. This colonialism and the ast.,rn influencee esta­ blished other kinds of marriage like polygamous , captured, and polyandrous marriage; but only a small group of uro­

peanized aild .esterni!3ed Camb.1cU ms followf:!d thssE~J marr.!.ases. But since CQl.Qbodian independencA in 1953 upto 1970, such

marriages have declined. Rec~ntly , they are completely

abolished by thA success of t he Ca.'lborllan e.-1 revolution of April 17, 1975. v. Divorce: In Gambodia, as James Hastings said "divorce existed but [it was] not much in practioe".9 hen­ ever it took place, it waa nearly always demanded by the wite. Observation shows that it is rarely found in rural families. It ia more common in urban families. with reference to this problem, Buddhist philosophy tried to inculcate this ideal in men and women that they should love and have faith only in one's wife or husband, Buddhism docs not favour divorce. Yet men and women indulge in extra-mari~al relations out of lust, polygamy is strictly prohibited by the Cambodian religion and the new Constitution. Divorce, in the past, could be requeated on the following ~rounda: 10 (1) prolonged absence of the husband; (ii) abandonment by ei~her husband or wite; (iii) incompatibility; (iv) introduction of secondary wives into the household with the consent of the first wife (it is tound among the members of the wealthy families or arnong high civil service employees); (v) refusal of the husband to provide for his wite and children; and (vi) adultery. How­ ever, accordin~ to the new Constitution of 1976 having more than one wife or one husband at a time i s completely prohibited.

VI. ~irtb: 11 Cambodian family which is based on Buddh1.At nhilosophy appreciates the birth of :nany children. Cartb()rl 1.ans believe that giving birth to a child is like cr ossin t hf! sea (Chlang Tonle). So during delivery, the h, sband is very carAtul. A midwife and various kinswomen are brou ~ht si nce it is believed that •a woman who dies at cnild­ b r t"l bef!omes a sinister ~host - her wickedness is augmented by the anger of the fetus, furious at being frustrated•. Thia belief is still prevalent in t he 1~ral areas. In urban area• t hese ideas are fast disappearing owing to t he establi3hment of public health schemes, hospitals and medical doctors. Usually, Cambodian woman remains at rests for a few days atter delivery. Soon she resumes her household chorea. A cnild ia breast-fed till he is two or three or four years old , depend­ ing on th~ arrival of the next brother or sister. uich urban fa'1lilies believe in milk-feeding rather than breast-feeding.

For Cambodian family, the children are nicknamed after 79 astrological numerals or grotesque animal to frighten off the evil spirits. It a child becomes sick his name ia changed to confuse the evil spirit. Generally, the child's head is considered sacred; and this sacredness is accepted by all Cambodians. The head is 'sacred', no one can touch the head of others, besides the head, other parts or the body are touchable.

The ways ot showing aff9ction for a child is sho·dn by the Ca'lllbodian Kias - pressing of the nose close to the c.1eek while strongly inhaling. But a Cambodian child is curddled and fondled more than kissed. A custom of cutting t ha top tuf' of hair is still prevalent now for both boys and girls between their 11th ar 12 year of age (see Section 5 of this chapter).

rr. . pisposal of tbe Dead: In Cambodia, the cremation is a oneral cu sto~ . Poor families cl'fltmate the body imme-

iatel y af tPr t~e ~aath, but the rich ones keep the dead body for a lon ,er, till it is convenient for them to arrange the function either big or small. Previously, "the rich often deferred, for various reasons, for several ~ontha or seven years. In the latter case they either bury the body and l~a~e it to be exhu~ed at the desired time, or they preserve it in the house. In order to preserve the body, they pour a certain quantity of ercury into the mouth and place the body in a coffin of hard wood hermetically sealed, except for a small hole to which is fixed a hamboo tube whioh carrie& out of the house the gases that are formed."12 Actually, Cambodians do not have a cult of the dead, but ~11ng to the Buddhist religious codes, the Buddhist monke and nur1a help to lead all kinds of cremational ceremonies or burial. Or even when the~e are no monks or nuns in the countryside, people repeat the word or Buddhisa "Araham or Buddho" ('the Saint! or the Juat Onel') which ahowa that they are prayin~ for the dead body.

VIII. Uourning:13 Wearing white-clothes ia a sign ot mourning in Cambodia. Gen~rally , if anyone expires, all the members of thA fa~ly and relatives of that ~ereon are compul­

sorill' nrle to WA&r white cloth until the end of the burial or funeral ceremony. All the relatives of the dead body, close

and far, must be in . .ournin~ . For eXaf.lple, the person who weare white shirt or coat must haYe at least a small piAce ot black cloth, attached to the shirt or coat. Those who wear black hirt or coat must have at least a small piece of white

cloth attached to it. But at leaat one memb~r murt oe in

complete uhite vost ant, and the symbol of tGot~min~ must ha•e a st.tall piece of black cloth attached to it.. Anot.her eign of aourninP- is to shave the head ev ry fortnight, without. any special decoration of the body. That is to say, owing to this rule, one must "drees in whit.e, wearing no jewels or orna~ent.a, and fast once a week, on Tbnai Sil (Pali Sila ~eans on the day of Moral Fast)", which is equivalent to the 'Day of Fasting• of Hinduism in India. Mourning is usually accepted by the persons who are older or are in a higher rosition than othera. 81

Normally ,~darins and functionaries wear it tor the king until the ere ation. Sometimes the cremation is put oft for many years.

Previously, according to the tradition, children and grandchildren, whether by birth or adoption, wore mourning dress for their parents and grandparents for three years. But now, owin to the new Cambodian econocic and social reyo­ lution, this custom of mou.tning has been reducP.d to only a snort time. oreover, the rule of this cnstoo .;s that, t e widow wears it for her husband; yoU!'ll!er brothers nd e s t ars wear mourning only f or their elders; niec~s, nephews, ·md cousins \lear it only until tha end of t _e cremation. B~~ides, parents, grandparen1.s, nnd Widm:(;rs do not weer rttournin, for their childl'en, rnndch.ildren, and ¥Jives rospe ... tively. ~.ny­ how, owing to the principal rule of custo::1, 'tlhen a family member dies , other memb rs of that family should wear white vest.ment. Out iders \·•ho die a.1ay fro 1 t heir f mily in a distant place, and have no one to 01rn for them, or so'!\~ -rho s~ay in a villa e but ho ave no childr n ~n~ r l ativ ~ to mcurn f. or them, ~hey arg i elpad ty stran, rs or neighbours who take up the rcsronsibili ty for them and .{oar th.e rthi ta dress of mourn·ng for the dead per~on a~til the funct.on is over.

The tradition of mournin by wearing a white dress baa its founda-cion in the Buddhist hiloso hical ideas ot: 'Pamsu­ kola Vattha" (which means the cloth or thing which reveals the extent of dirt by 1 ts change of colour). l'lhy is 1-rhi te cloth accepted? Because it can easily reveal rlirt. As for other colours such as red, yellow, etc., sometimes it hardly reveals dirt. Beyond this, white dress is a symbol of peace in

Bu.dhist thou~ht. Buddhist philosophy says:

"Anicci Yata samkhira Upidavayadha~ino uppajjitvi nirujjhanti tesam-vUpasamo su~ho"

"All ' Creatures ' (Santkharaa} a e i "lp~ r"!.an~"'lt,

their ex·sten~ s a:ce aluays disappoared,

till they ~re xtinct that will bG v ry happy . ~

Concerning the idea of white cloth, Buddhist philo&ophy mays: lhen we face any trouble, either fro~ the l~ss of a loved thing or the arrival of a hate thing i.e. ln tne case of the death of any member of one's own family, one sllould not let one's consciousness fail because of fright and fear for one's own life to come. But one should take t !1o frightful thing or fearful thing in orner to observe or examine t 3 thing.

On this account, one s~ould take -~ tte cloth in hand in order to ~~b one's bo~y or face. T~en at a pr~cise r.o~en t, one could c~eck whether the wnite cloth is oure and dirtlees, and the same can be done about our life. ~hen the white clot· is I t:)uehed, it c anll'9S 1... 1 colour. Hen;:e, in t~)P. case of our lite too at first it is fresh and troubleless, but any thin~ touches it, like dirty food, feTer, atrless, breathl s~ , social en£orce ~e nts, ete., which suffocates one's life, etc. t hen life will also show change , where there is change therE is suffering" (see Section 6 of Chapter VI) . IX. Ghosts:14 Even though, Buddhism has not mentioned about the fear of ghosts, but still most of Cambodians believe in the appearance of ghosts, who issue from the decaying dead body. Among the intelligentsia, this belief has declined owing to the modern education. In the countryside, people still fea~ ghosts, especially those living in t he foreets or jungles ·Nhere the eupernatural demand ls p1"evalent. ·.~hen we closely study the 'ideas of hosts' lt could be relate~ t.o the 'ideas of rebirth' in otnor religions. Actually, b l:tet in ghontR is nothin~ but a flar "Jr fright •~hicb can bo c ::tused by hearsay. Ho""• tile theory of 7hosts ha s bocomo n im"Ocrtant subject for research in t nP. nell scheD.ie cf Al.1erican r- c. ~ar~h .

SomebotJ, Cambod:la11 s bPlievo in BurirUust monks and Bn(inhint ravcn·s. Pfloplf\ believe that t _ e ghosts are afraid of B•1ti-ihist Monks. !P,t the Buddhist monks actually have no

8'1Ch !Jhanu:1a (Laws ) to r•r ay t~nd to conquer t ~P. ~h osts , but they have only •Metta Dhamrna' (laws of ~xpressing t he good \·lill or good wish'3S) for the occurrence of the phenomena or supe.cna­ tural appear ~nce in ordAr to naka ~he closest observ&ti on and friendship wit.h them. Anyway, this belief \lhich had oeen constructed is iopossible to be completely disregarded.

X. Festival or the Dead:15 Belief in the phenomena of gh o~ts has ~iven rise to the case of the f estival of the dead in Cambortia . Usually, this festival, in honour of t he dead is held in S~ptP.mbe~ - t ~e Phc~o~ , ' Reunion•, ' Assembly',

C~~bodians have strong faith in this festival. They believe that all souls have the right to leave thair Hades . Then they r.ay come to enjoy the off~rin s "·'hich the Cambodians never fail dutifully to prepare for them. The monas~ery ie the main place for ~he festival. It is t~e Buddhist monks who are responsible for it. (Cambodians have more festivals which are similar to this, se~ Section 2 of Chapter VI) . It is important to note tnis festival was established by the ancient scholars of Cambodia not ouly f or the sttke Qf "'orsh:pping

~hosts, but for the sako of ••Nati or,al :.,l}.:;ial GatneL ingn. It brin~s people to~Pther from all walks of life to co .s close to"eth,r in the Special Place onastary. ight frn:n Kings , rich and poor mAn can meet each other in person, l.t lei st, once in a year. ·rhat. is 1ell \mown to !•!.odarn C3mb~dia { .ew Kampuchea ), "vambor ian Social ;ay of Life".

Anyhow, various kinds of facts mentioned above mignt brinr.- us to <.now about the rimary app~arance in the t heory and structur'! of C'J1'lbodian r~mily, espe~ially in the '"rgani­ zation of family life' in Cambodi3 including Buddhist ideas to the ubject 'f this s~ction . Desidea, Q~t of the aspects which I have menti~ned in this soction, t~e ~amily institution is oharactGrized by ot~er several important aspects \ini~tl ex~reas the various potnts of vigw of t~e Buddhist reli ~ion .

TlloBe aspects will be d scribed i n t~e next followtn~ s ctione.

2. ~ Prtnci.'glf.!s anr\ Pra~ticl'& ot Marria~e

In Cambodia, r~mi lios ars bnsed on a sound marria ,e­ system. ;.~ono amy haa boen d cl14rcd as tl.e only accepted fora ot marriage. This goes hand in hand with the Buddhist theory. It says "the married life is moral life". Why? Because one ahould be sincere t o oneself as well as ~o others, and one ahould live morally to avoid greed or selfishness in desire through sexual misconduct. One should live only with one wife or one husband which is sanctioned in accordance with t heory of Buddhist !ive moral precepts (see Section 2 of Chapter VI), it is also said in the Third article , n o ot be unchaste" (Do not be i ndul 1ng in se~~al misconduct). Other malpractices such as poly: amous, captured , or polyandrous marriages, which were introduced during t he French colonialism in Cambodia, but did not bear roots, were banned.

The case of •monogamous ·'larrias;e' could be roug:1ly divided into two t YPes . One :ts t e Arranged taa rria~e, and the other is tove- marriage.

n1e arranged marriage is most popular in Cambodia. In its case both the parents of a boy and a girl ar responsible for arranging th ir sons' and dau .~hters' marriages. In Cambodian tradition, usually a boy's parents or guar lana have to engap,e any suitable ,irl for marriage when a boy is olrt enough to have a family of his own . A girl usually receive• bride-price from a boy. In contrast, in India, a boy usually receives d~fry from a ~irl. So etimes the marriage- payment ie paid half by a boy and paid half by the ~irl, when the boy' s parents and t he girl's parents are in close ralations1ip with each other. In the recent times (in 20th century ~ . D .), it could be seen that the f ormer system or marriage which was arranged by the boy's parents solely haa slibhtly changed. The irl's par ents too help to arrange the marriage. This change comes up when the girl's parents love the boy because of his intellect, hard-\'fork or his uanner s and etiquettes with his relatives, which endear him to tha girl's parents and relatives, and others.

In the case of love marriage, it is closely concerned with t he selecti on of mates. So, sea details i n t he Section ot ates, below •

.oreover , re ~ ard ing the suitable age for marria~e in Cambodia it could be maintained that "a man enerally marries between the a ~e of 20 and 25, a girl between 16 and 22.

Marria~e within the circle of blood relativ s is stri ctly prohibited; first cousin marria e , ~owever , is not included 16 in the prohibition and occurs frequently. " r Besides , a husband and a wife may happily live together for life, when both are satisfi~a with each other . So marri­ a ge is essentially based on the prop9r selection of mates.

The question of ri ~ht choice i n the nrobl@m of selection ot mates has been answered by cuato~s which are firmly instituted. One of the Cambodian proverbs says: "DhYeu are oy maul amau, duk-dak kon-chau oy meul phau aantan" means "See the grass before cult1vatin" the f arms, see th~ f amily before arran ng a marria e."17

General ly, the i deal select ion of - ates for Cambodians is principally based on the girl or boy who haa •a good behaviour" (-morality-sincerity-true love); it does not depend upon looks - beautiful or not beautiful, rich or poor, highly educated or uneducated; but one thing is seriously expected i.e. whether the 'behaviour is good or bad 1 generous or un­ generous' . This wholly refers to the mind of the person or the lover. A Ca bcdian believes t"lat "an ut;ly j'Arson may have a beautiful ~ind or poor person ay be morally rich". "A girl or a boy ay be beautiful, but his o't" her '~ood behaviour', ehowa the true beauty", and ttthoueh a irl or a boy is very poor, ' he or she could be rich in good behaviour' so t~at shows the richness. hy do Cambodians keenly observe the person's

"bP-havlour" rat •r than oth~r qualifications? Because on ace ount of Ca.Anbodian philosophy, Cambodians understood that

"a person's mind expresses itself throu~~ actions and behaviour". So , it can be said th~t the 'mind' is the 1 be avtour', and the 'behaviour' :is the ' ind'. What a person wants to rio, is ins ir d and lAd by the mind . Thia Ca bocH an th0u ht i ht be referred to the Buddhist philosophy of •!tind h ch 1as been Axpressed that:

" ind is the fore-runner of (all evil) condi-cions. Mind is chi f; and they are mind-made. rr, with an impure mind, on9 soeake or acts, then pain follows one even as the wheel 1 the hoof of the ox.w1g ~4ind is ~he f ore-runner of (all good) conditions • • nd is chief; and theY ar mind-made . If, with a pure ino, one speaks or acts, tnen happiness follows one even as the shadow that never leaves.n19 Hence , these sayinga maintained 'mind' is the fore-runner of all good and bad kinds of behaviour. !herefore, Cambodians are guided in selecting their mates. 11ey seQk the mates by observing persona on "behaviour" good or bad; it is not only done in the case ot inaividuala, but also the "family's behaviour", whether ood or oad, moral or immoral.

Owiag to the above- mentioned matters, the Cambodian parents or guar ians are si ,nificantly responsibl~ for s lect- in t mates. But in the odern times, boys and irls are sanctioned to select their 1ates whom they find suitable.

Then they may in~orm t eir parents ~r snonsors ~r ~ardians to arrange the marriage function.

Now , we are cominr to obslt\rve Cf'rt.,in problems of this s~ct ion » the Principles and t e Practices of arriage.

A. 'rhe Principles of .arriage: Camuodian 1.1arriage, when it is performed, is recalled on "three pri~ciples" 20 in combination - the 'tmion of Rama and ~ita' wtich was performed by Preah aha Mi thela Rishi ( th former trndi tio: al form ot marria e that belontJ:s to Brahmanism); the ' T nion of Kriana and Jal·• which was performed by Pr~ah Vessantara (the former traditional form of marria e t hat belon ~ s to Buddhism;

Vessantara was, accordin to is~ory n£ Buddhis~ , t he last reincarnation of th~ Bodhisatva of Gautam Budd~a , present Buddhism); snd the 'Union of Preah Ti1on.e and Narri ' (the for er traditional fom of raarr1a , that belongs to th Khmer , which was p rfor ed by the anci ,nt he Is during the marriage 89

ot Kaundinya and the Khroer Princess Na~). These three main l e~ends re gardi n ~ the three principles mentioned above, I would narrate them in brief.

The ' Union or Rama and Sita' by Preah f.iaha :~ t thela

Rishi, the form of marriage wh tch was performed fo~erly by Preah !!aha rathela Riehi for nama and Sita. This form of marr ia _,e was r,.,llowari in t.he 1 qr ertd of Ramll"er Khmer (Khme r

Ra~ayana) . ~cor~in g to thn 1egend , ?re~• Jay Suriya ia the

onl y one male s~.ud~nt of Prnah •ys r (Shiva} . ~\ fter marr y-ing he brouuht his youna; Wife i'o-:- ea lu ~inb b ia mast...-lr. Befo4•e lf:'>aving Jay Suriya de ·nanded sou1e t hlnF,s f :-om Shi.va to be souvenir. Shiva gave to th.e nau couple tuo sy:.nl>olic objects

of t~e precious ntones: one bougie representin~ his linga and one leaf of banta~ (banyan-t.re')) representing the sex of his v1fP, fro~ which the name of ?orpir rot "two precious bene­ dictions" vrhich later become :ROpils. So, what principles which

Cnmbodi"ns t.ook for t heir prac~ic~ in marrta~e? 1'/e cnn find

in the Rit~s of Marrie.ge or Cambodia the establishment of the bou~ie of the Thang Ron~, the respect of Suriya Gorl , Rnd the turn of popil (see d~tails in practices of marriage).

The ' Union of Krisna and Jali' by Preah Vessantara, the form of marria.;e l-:hi ch was foroerly perforrled by Freah Vessan­ tara for his son and dau~hter - Krisna and Jali. This form of marrie~e was followed in t he legend of t he Buddhist history. After t he Buddhist legend, the threa bunches of the flower• ot arP.ea which represent the kindness (courtesy) of father, 90 mothor and elder (sister). According to the Buddhist legend, there w re four stud nts (who stu• ied with the same aster) and who have left from their a~ter (for ~oing baek home) after obtainin~ ( t~eir) know led e. (Amon the four stud.-.nts, each had obtai~ed ditf~rent kind of Kn~wled-e from another), the first was a diviner (astrolo ~e r), the second was a sharps­ shooter, the third knew (how to) resuscitote a death, and the !curth as an emeritus s11i er. It as night when t':t 7 arrived s.t bank of the sea {sea3hore) . Ther thay d cided to pass the night : or waiting the day. For amuse ~nt (entertainment) , the three conpanions made drawing of prognostics for the ~orrow . (After everal omenta were passed) then one eagle, arriving at the opposite direction (side) carrying in its claws one young trirl •

•hen t e mo~~nt ca~e (was favotrable), the shooter shot one arroh' to kill the bird. Th-' bird then fell and died with its prey in the sea. T 1e swtrrune plun,.ed and brought the young i rl but s e wae dead. 'he third then resuscitated her to ba alive. When the you.nr.: trl ~'as alive, a dispute among the four men ""•a s occurred, (the ql.'CstJ.on lJ.•e.s arieen) ;ho would be able to be a husba."ld of the young girl. ~he affairs th n brouc:..ht leva.."1t the Bon~isat.va w!1 o de""i~ .d t.. at: t he ~Mi u.. er could be the hu !:~nd of t e yo:.m i rl becu.use he brought her in his hand~ . The othet, thr e whc w re equally patrono thus thoy 1:ere respecti\"e ly then father , motner and Alder brother. And thurofore for biving thanks, the married prepared in their 91 honour three bunches of the areca flowPra. And this custom baa continuously prevailed until the present days (our present daya).

The 'Union of Preah Thong and Nagi' has also been a

Khmer legend narrated. (It is said), t~~re is the im~ortant version which has prevailed alon the Khmer history to th t

ot Preah Thon~, the premier Kin of lok Thlok. He tell in

love with princess, the dau~hter of the Kin~ of Na~a, and the princess Na 1 also loved him. The princess prorosed him to present h1mself to the Erin - h r fa thor. Thus, Pr ah T"- ong was cau"ht in the scarf of t he princess in orfP.r to o across the ea rt.h. (\fu "' Pr-agh Thon

pel~ce ~r Y.in or r ,e , thpy w~re then ma~rt~~. fl.rte t h t.

t~ey esmo out fro~ tho Ns a pls~e in Parth to stev on p rth

and cro,.,n~d ~s th ~ J# in"" rot Knk Thlok. CJe , the it~ of catching

in scarf of the bride (married woman) (or which, b came t~e tune of Pr ah Thon~ l an ak and Neak P an Hhich have to be play d ur:tn t. o nnpt:tal prostration (obeisance), (which hal

continuously r vatl~d until today) .

ro the principl~s mentioned above \''e can s e their several aspects which are practisod in Cambodian carria e rites.

B. The Pr

of ar.rin e'. In practi ~es , .;.xnbod1an marria e can be dl vided into: "the ' Che Cha.u' (proposal); the Demand for .arriage; the farria g; and A£ter ~arriage ". 21

I . '£he ' Che Chau• (r roposalh rhis is t1. first relacion, 92 it consists of three times of visit. The first time, some members of the boy ' ~ relatives or the boy' s parents bring the parcels which ere cov~red in betel leaves and tobacco to offer to the parents or truarrlians or the young ~irl for the nurpose or introducing - marria~e - relation. The second time, one of boy's relatives or nar4nts, brings back the s&~e presents. T is time the person who brin ,s the presents asks many ques­ tions to the par nts of the youn~ irl, 'Haw is she? Is she ongaged? Hm1 old :t s sho? I have ,bs~rved that vour daughter i s beautiful, ·r~ll- behave d, r;enero'tB, act:ive etc., now, I have co'll to se t tln her enga em nt, \·That would you say about? I 811 su.·e you know .y son or no h~w well enou~h. Tnie ts under con­ sideration. The third tim ~, t o no~~on who brtn~s the boy's prAsent brin s the important presents to rliscuss and settle the rP.l tion of real en ~ agement. This is the last visit. If the parents of the young ptrl a ree to the nroposal, then they may tell the boy's party to •'.:et an astrolocrl!r to settle the time suitable for marria e. After completing all the diacu­ esions, then the person who brings the boy's presents offer the Sla Dak (Araca-nut). This is called Rite of Sla Dak.

II. Tl-t~ P"tand for ?t.'lrriaf"e : After informin~ th~ young girl' s n~ak r~lov, " ns of t~e route", thr~e ladiea bring the a me pr sent~s in t r P- a r s of cuns (coupes) which n r~ cover.. ·c by a""sc a- nuts, r1.pe-bananns, and glutinous-rice­ cakes t o of.for to t.he arente of tl).c yo' g- ,.irl at tll~tr house.

Darino t"li~ visit, t e thrt~~e ladies could arldress the oung­ girl' a parent a by word " ·~eba" (parents), and tie clare that: 9)

"Mr. and Jtrs. X, now, we are the three representatives ot the young-boy's parents, Who have brou~ht these presents which are in front of you, to ask for the hand of your daughter named Y for marrying our son named Z; it you both agr ~ e with our de:::tand , then both of you \'1111 ba sati sfi~d by O'Jr presents." \fuen the request is cor.sld r d by the you:1g-girl '• par nts, the next visit is to f ollow. The visit vr.i ch follows is accom ani d by a pr~sent ich is cov r d by a C r a o:h sc~rr tot,~ Than Rona (a so~t of )oard f r t1e ritu~l b.tel of marriag } to d end the one of arec .• ~·o bou ie9 1ave their st:tc 1cs. Cn t e 'rhung Rong , there a al::~ , one bottle of alcohol, r pe bananas and cakes hich in tc be made for the fulfil ent of th':! young- irl • s parent a ' n~eds. ' .1wn the l1eba ans'r~er to boy's representative that is ~!alled the ' ~ita of Sla

1 Kansen • During the third visit, the parento of t'1a yotL"1g­ boy request one group of dele ation which consists of three couples of gentle en aad ladies , and the f rnt and s cond

::ouples ust be older t . an ~he tl1lrd couple. Th~se delA atea or "!1oha caJ... ry mp the presents of h~tel , qreca,

Ct;tke s, f1~t.1its, r.teat; , Vf! .P:e tables, at.grials u.nd je'trela whtch are to be cffered to the narents of t he younr-~1rl as the mark of th~ir faithfulness. ~nd for the same reason the youn~­ rirl's parents could morally off~r some thin~s back to the boy's pArentS Or tO the y0un~-boy (bride~room) Of thAir dauv,.,tAr (br1.n~). The Moha could dress the rou~e mante~u, and dresees for Meba should f or m the variPtV available in the locality. After ceremonial discltssions, the question ot tiances ts attended to. That is called the Rite of Si Sla Banhcheab Peak (Areca for Fixing the Discussion) . After finishing this ceremony, the betrotned are called to perfora some work traditionally for the future parents-in-law. And the next step is called the ceremony of ' Choun Pelea' which ia officially anounced, and the date for marriage ceremony, ia fixed. The final discussion re ardin~ the act of marriage ia on ' Fe lea Roum ' moeuy' (moment of the reunion of pillo\iere') is the ost important. Generally, one could avoid the "saint daya of t~e impair months, 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and 11, and the period of re~reat of t1e Buddhist monke" . It is bett er for the people of the rural are~s , the bridegroom (boy-fiancee) could construct t~e ouse for the couple out of the house for marri­ age c-,remony, for the net-r couple liv in~ to ~ethet" , that is to eay, probabl y one or two y ars after finishing the marriage function. Or other\vise, the bridegroom shoul construct the house before or for arranging the arria ~e; this is also very popular in rural areas. But it is not so nee ssary for the people of the urban areas to o so. lhe cho~cn moment is written on one r d paper "thich is carried by thEII youn"-girl 's parents

(fa nily), after the aut~torisatJo'1, the family of pretendant could conztruct t1e house for marria~e , - one pavilion f or banque~ , one kitchen (ror cookin~) , and anoth er one is ~alled the "pavilion of the flowers of areca' wh ich tBmporarily shadea t he marriage. se are decorated with garlands of aper, fresh leaves of tro~ s , then are r ady f or th~ festival . 95

!II. The .~arriage: The duration of marriage tradi­ tionally is for three days. On the first day, the function begins at the marriage-house in t he young girl's family. This continues till the second day. The married man is escorted by his friends and ~usicians while he ente~s t he ~pavilion of the flowers of areca".

On the second day, the ceremony of Si Sla Komnat takes place in the house of tne youn6 girl, ~hP.re the Meba and r~ oha are in. :Iusic is played all day long f or invit Pd ,,.uest s . The

Si &la Komnat is traditionally consj.c!.e rsd as th~ half -mar riage; so it is sufficient!£ to be a~~ounced to ancestors t he coming int.o col..LiSion With oach other T..he 11oad of fiancees for legi­ timately unitinp;. Hare, i. t io to be noted that·, on thi.s day the re are .11any functions or ceremonieo "' .ich have to be par­ formed. At t he s ame day, at about one or t~·ro o'clock i n the aftqrnoon, the rnarried ruan and '.toman have t neir "hail.. cut". The young r'irl i.a supposed to be dispensed so she guards the chi gnon (coil of hair) . Duritlg this time, t he music is played in the sui t able t.une. Then, follows the rite of San1peah Neak-ta "Salu"tation to the tutelary genius" when the married man alone ts Aocorted along with musi c; he off ers sev r.al thinp.: a to Nea k-ta near the f'oot 'lf a big tree. Th-1re it make•

V~i (voeu), t he marria e will take place in joy. Then , before finish:J.ng the afternoon r.o::~rem ony, the married man and \foman , the member s of th~ two families, and t.he intimat P friPnrls are aliened to .1 oin and listen to the Buddhist prayers which are sung by the Bu~Jhist monks. In front of the Bud hist monks , one cup of water of Sambuor, one Slathor, and one involucre of flowers of areca are fi~red in first occasion among the other offerings.

Now , it is coming to the moment or "celebrating the ancestors". It ia supplicated ot agreement the success to married man and woman on wrists of whom the members of their family tie u~ bracelets of cotton thread. As a rule the rites of marriaP.e pass along symmetrically for the two families, the young ~irl is in her bouse, the yo~g boy is in his paYilion. But occasionally, the young boy is invited for performing certain rites in the house of the bride (his fiance). The next arrival is the moment of welcoming t ~ e invited ueste which after a joyful meal make a gift to new married man and wo&an for their ~fixing the vital spirit". This amount re­ presents a kind of succours (helps) for the new married couple. That night there takes place for the young irl the ceremony of "powd~rtng the lac'luer", of '':naking teeth" (rites which may be abolished however they are celebrated only :for the young girl the ''coming out of the shade"), and the fictitious

(supposed) bargaining of "price of areca" calls Kat or ~hieY Khan Sla, meanwhile the orchestra plays the coneecratedly traditional tunes. The ~oha and the Neak Yhlov erect three bunches of flouers of areca on three leg-cups. 'Xhe first or 'eldest' has twenty-one areca-nuts and twenty-one leaves ot rolling be'tels; the second or the "flower of heart" has twelve 97 ar~ca-nuts and twelve leaves or betel; and the third or the "youngest" has six areca-nuts and six leaves of betel. The

Neak Phlov also aintain the "bo~~i~a of Pelea~ whose the len th of th_, l'rick corresponds to that !")£ tul":'l of head or marri~d man.

Be!oro the dawn, the married 1.1an and woman are richly dorned for the nuptial prostration. \'/hen everythin is ready, the married an takes n neat nr.ar one fruil construction in bamboo called .~earyrelea , feces to "breat,hing of life'' for at.t nding the propitious (favourr.ble) me ent. i.s is p l'hapa determinated by v~rious 4eans (w ~y2) : bein isti guish d clAarly the linAs o1· han , be:i ng di~tin :,)uished the dry le y-ea of reen lsav s of trees. Thr ~ ~nocks of ~on7 are anna ced the blow for oropitious mot:lent .

The married man .. .l.'Ostrate~ hiJaself taree tiutes towarda the "Sur:,ra God" or th~" rioing sur... f tur that, the SUlall proce3sion 'is conducl.ed by the Achar holdi.Llg one sabre and then follo~r'ld by Moba , eak Piuov, car:riern of bu11ches of flow~rs of a oca, Pelea uougieo, ''Tiabn containing one boiled hen or one pie~o of cooked meut , and cakes reRerving tor sin er who will open t hem , then thAy etre directed to t he house or the yourg irl.

To the bottofu of the laddgr (staircase), the married man ie received by a lit"le irl, parents of the young irl (or one younr' felloif) , 1ho washes his legs (who washes feet to him) . For ~iving thanks to h~r , he ives her a small amount. 9

Thon t ~ married man takes a seat again on previously prapared

\at With that eff ct faceS on "breathi.g of life". On a pillow deposed before hi it i s placed 'three .., la Truoy. ~t 1er tar beino erectBd the Thang aong having on a lighted bougie&. To the borrler of one leg-cup which is full of water and having on pasting one bougie is placed one hank of son destined for form\n wrists bracelets of arriad man and woman. The two families take a scat rounci about young . an who prostrates hirosslf ost ne t lo1er part th n eposes his two ands open on the pillol>l ; here Achar sets one bunch of "elde~" floHe r and he ordains th'l offerin to his !'ather-in-law. The sa e ritjl! is t·epeated for the second time and the "youn:~ertt !lower which are 1·~spec tively :Mcei,ed by mother-in- lau and elder si!ter (or brother) of ~he · ar~ied ~omnn . ln the oeantime the cuf'!.c is lay~d t!1e tune oi' reah ncng.

ow, 'the mom3nt uhich is arrived is the invitation ot the youn girl !or coming out. una cusictan sin a tho tune of "opening the curtains" fro. the door ( ateway) of tho roca of th youn' irl and Ghe o wart:lly walco::ted as the "holy are~a?t . .he young rl conducted by ono lucky lady tu:es her seat on tne left of her fiance (bridegroom). Tha or"lestc-a pluys the tune o.r J eang Ueak, singer dances and sings for · op ni ng the .Jay K1ontt . aking out th a ore from the cov r ( s·1e th) he s ngs the ·• sa re is made of iron of Kompon Svay", open the o.ieb (sort of bo11l or place) or nay non by crossing t he arms and ends 'is son by 99 the words: Ohey hang! Suos hang! repeating again and aaain for three times by the audience (co~pany). For that mo~~nt ,

commanrled by the Achar, the married man and woman bend them­ selves to the front the joined hand! side by side on the pillow. Here Achar deposes the sabre and sometimes the lime­ pot, pronounces the formula of benediction and brin ing some drops of water from the cup and then he sprinkles over the married an and woman. This feet , Achar is accompanied by

five gentle:nen &Ild four always lucky ladies uake sitting in circle all round about married nan and woman for Tilaking turn

all Popils. All Fopils are passed frofu t he rig~t to t~e le~ make like thie for 19 turns. Each of e~ploy•d three popila brings to its summit one lon bou:ie folding up into two whose the extre.nlties are turned into upper part al'ld lighted. ~acn person forming the circle, for his ri~ht hand beats down the flame (fire) to inner part before passing the popil to his neighbour. For each turn, Achar, for guiding of memory, ~ut one leaf of betel in front of him . AftQr 19 turns he re­

assembl~s (collects) all popils and with the l&aves of betel extinguished the bougies by blowtng the smoke towards the married man and woman.

Then one by one following the ord~r, the parents, the unclPs, the aunts ••• tie bracelets of threads at the wrieta of married man and woman . Aft~r detachin ~ the two bunches of flowers o£ areca, Achar distributes them to all the attendant• then ~our them over the married ~an and woman by formulating 100

on account of b st ~!shes and prosperity. All the same under the ~ ommanrut ent of Achar, the married man and woman are addressed, the young girl returns to her room followed by her husband w~o is caught by her scarf. In the room, the married woman hands over him one chew of areca with joined hands and new clothes, because he ~ust change his clothes and return into the common hall to be a witnes$ in rite "Ream Sa Kantel"

(Rolling t hP. mat). In th~ same ~o~ent th~ orc~estra plays the tu~e "Sa Kantt!l". Spr1.nklinct the .at that the married man and woman are sP-ated, ~char roll~ it up by pronounci~ ~ conjura­ tional stanzRs. The narried 'Tl3n 3nd womel'l "O'lr"C~laee it, b~cause th~tt will be on that mat brtn~ing !'rosperity when th'9 future couple :fill pass its f1.rst ni ~h~ . T1on t\c!.tar indicates the momP.nt of the ''reunion of pillow" and detach~s the knots (ties) from wristB of ~ arried Ban and woman. About twelve o'clock (in the day) , the marrted man and woman serve food to h eba and all members of the two families then they are retired in t~~ir room for eating their first meal to ,ether, face-to-face.

From oi?ht to nine o'clock in the evenin~ , the married man and womnn ~e~t ~Aoh oth~r a~ain in their room w~e re two lucky ln ies havA isposed on one nat t wo pl~tcs nf r:ce, viands, and r•ipe bananas. The t ·,to ladies ligll.t one b ou ~i~ , t hr e rods of ncP.nse appaal to the ancAstora and brin!; them for wttnes~ of the reunion of t,,,o persons GO that they li~re to~eth~r a ~ood and happy life. Titan upon t r eir command, the married man and wo.,an interchange thr8P mouthful of rice and 101 banana. After finishing meal, the two ladies tell married couple to turn the head to the south, wife sleeps at the left ot the hu&band . The two ladies then close the door and retreat to their room. This is the end of the rites of marriage. Recently, the three days of marriage are cut down in the urban areas, but it still continues in the rural areas. But, now, normally one-day-marriage is considered suitable, thou~h still its principles are kept pure as much aa possible.

IV . After karria1~e: llomally, within three days after ruarriage (accordin to former tradition, and within one day or after co~pl~ting oarr1age in present times), the new couple

·accompanied by the fa:nily o to beg the benedictions of the Prah San,ha in a monastery of tne family. They bring with th 11 to th tnonastory some presents and one bouquet of flol'tera

of are.!a whic .1as be n predarved. The monk, chau-athicar or

Brah Grou (chief of ~onastery), unties the bouquet, and pours the flowers on the newly married couple by utterance of sanction formula. This is the end of the practices of the Cambodian marria~e .

By the way, various aspects of those statements commu­ nicat~ to us about how Cambodian ma~riage comes up and takes place. Camborlian marria~e , since ancient times upto now, might be still attached to its current tradition in part of its principles, but it mi ht be modernized in some part of its practices. That is to say, the principles of Cambodian marriage would still be ap~lied 1 but the practices of Cambodian marriage 102 would be modified to be easier than before due to the evolu­ tion of the Cambodian society.

3. The Family Relationships - Husband and Wite, Parents and ~hildren 1 Brothers and Sisters, Attitude Towards the ~ldera

~e have already seen the en~ral nature of the Cambodian

society in Section 2 of Chapter I and th@ ~en~ral scopes ot the Ca bodian fn~ily in SQot on 1 of th!s chapt~r. Some ot their statem~nts have given full 1ntro1uctions to t~e Ca~bodian family relationships.

Normally, Cambociian way of life points out that 't e wife is to be helped and loved by the husband• , and 1 tha husband is to be helped and loved by the wife'. Both husoand and wife have equal statue in life,

In the case of parents and children relationship, the Cambodian kinship system tends to be markedly bilateral­ relations. Kin members ,marriage ties, inheritance pattern• are all regulated wit~out maternal or paternal bias. It ia in

contrast to tne otner neight:>ourlng countries ~"ld the Far ~aat, that Cambodians do not attach any special importance to tracing descondants throu~h the ualo line. That is co say, no distin­ ctions are made between the way a C bodian child beaaves toward his/her paternal r latives and t' e 1ay he/she behaves toward ~is/her maternal relativas. Sons and daughters, o.dng to the above-mentioned reasons, •1ave full ri6llts to inherit, and the inheritance aay come fro both the parents. And both sona 10)

and daugh~ers may receive both the land and the movable goods.

Besides, in remark to the above-mentioned bilateral bias. one should note that: "Until 1910 there were no family surnames in Cambodia. That year, a Royal Ordinance wae decreed that t he ~e or the head or the ramily should become the family name and precede an individual's given or first name ."22 This led to some confusion at first but has now become standardised. By the way , the rules of Buddhist conduct for the relationship between parents and children will be seen in Section ~ of this chapter. The values of Gambodian children to parents conforM with Buddhist values, the children should morally pay resp~ ot to parents. Buddhism says: "Parente receive tne countless gratitudes, like Buddha, Buddhist Bhikkhu Sanghas, and the enlightenP.d Disciples', 'they are strictly prohibited to hurt or kill'."~ 3 With reference to the above­ mentioned case, another Buddhist proverb has also me ntioned: "Buddha, b.nu-Buddha , Enlightened Disciples, Disciples' Sangha, Mother, Father, Teacher, Professor (sattha), Buddhist precept­ observer, and Preacher (wise or learned), these are to be respected and regarded."2I.. Houever, in ~eneral during weddin~s, funeral3, ami other functions, children could pay respect to both th paternal and oaternal anc~stora.

In Cambodian families, either elder brothers or siatera could lovingly ~ive th~ir best regards to either younger brothers or sisters. In turn, the youngsters should pay respact to the elders. Owing to Buddhist teaching and 104

Cambodian moral philosophy, "having respect f or one's elders is expected ot every one".25 Anyhow, today' 8 emphasis ia on ' Cambodian new Buddhist socialism' , the payment of respect i8 made by all Cambodians, either poor or rich, government civil servants or non-government civil servants, and so on. All Cambodians must rightfully respect and have regard for each other. Moreo,· ~ r, probably the attitude towards t he elders ia mora st tctly ractised in rural soeiQty than in the urban society. . s Joh~ P. 'rmstrona said, "The average settled

Ca~bodtan farm~r ~as a solidly built wooden house that consists of one generous-sized ro~n , with, perhaps, a raised, curtained corner wb~re the elders eleep."26 Besides, the attitude towards the elders might have been partly derived from the ones belonged to Buddhiam. For instance, Buddhism in Cambodia is "'Theravada Buddhism" or "1'heravadi ns", [those who prof"'SS Therc.vada, which eans "the \lay of Elderstt {va d means "school", "tray" or "ism", t hera means "the elder")]. 27 It is clearly indicated that the rreU9Ut Thgravada Buddhist follow ~rs (Budd hiat monW"s and O!'"r'inary people) have iroctly practised Duc!dna ' s Teachings i n the same forms as tl-t~ir exi stances in the times of the Budd'1.a ( the ~lder-Enl1 htened

C.ne or the •·Iatured- ~nlightenerl 0ne) .

However , the Cambodian family relatiouships amongs1; its member~ which is mentioned above is based on ' each of them' . It is considered to be the most respec·c.able . 105

4. Tne Buddhist Rules or Conduct tor the Family Members

In BudAhism , the rules of ~onduct are sometimes known as philosophy of life (see Section 5 of Chapter I). There are many rules or Buddhist conduct (see also Section 5 or Chapter I) . H re I may state the importance of the Buddhist rules of conduct for the family members.

To conduct the tarnily mer.:1bers \.O live in a prop h .. way and to avold t he break of relationships among the family-

h mbers , consisting of: parents, children, husband, wifB to. Budd i . has tauv.:'lt .naay important rules : or thetr life as follo.ts.

First of ali, the rule for the head of family (parents), 2 in Buddnism 1s based on "Four Divine States" g (Four Bra"L11a­

viharas): (1) lovinl'j-lci"ldness - the aim is to ~e t the happiness

tor t h• children; (1i) compassion - pity to help the children

get rid of suffering; (iii) sympat~e~ic jQI- pleasure, when the childr'ln are in ood behaviour; ( iv) equanimity - creg,tion of neutral behaviour without hating or liking too much when the

children do critioisable acttons, but help th~m also. These

mean t hat pnrcnts s~ould ~ rve as a ~ntal or conscious balance

to nclp and le~d the childr n tn a peaceful way. Otherwise,

conflicts ~nd prejudices y lsad to a "reak-do'm of rel.gtion- ahip. Ba sides , these four ideal laws are not only useful for

parent , but ener lly they are useful for ot~Pr leaders too,

like the King, Quc~n , President, Head of Stat~, Prime inieter,

Manag~r , J·. aster etc. 106

Moreover, there are some other useful rules for parenta and children, husband and wife. These rules, in Buddhi811 are called ''Sangahadharma" (Helpful Lawa) or (in-turn-helpful­ laws). These have already been iven introductions in Section 5 of Chapter I, on account of six-direction which East is 'parents' and \'lest is 'a wife'.

The parents should cultivate the children into five ways: (i) help the children to avoid i~oral actions; (ti) point out to the children the effect of moral actions 'r ood actions; (iii) sup ort the children for all kinrls of education or arts; (iv) heln thA children lead a fruitful married lite

(this includes the case of s~lection of mates); and (v) provide property for children when they are able to inherit.

In turn, children should inistar to thAir ~arents into five ways: (1) parents have ~iven birth to thAm, t1ey ehoul~ nay attention t.o fe d the parents b3ck; (ii} help parents :tn their wo,..k; (111.) r;uard the fa'llily status-quo forever [with refer nee to ~his, Bundhisi:l has cl13arly gntioned that, if one ·ants the fanily' s continuance forev r, one oust avoid the ' Four States•29 of th harmfulness: (a} absence ot a•arch for the lost things; (b) abs~nce of repair in the case of broken things; (c) spending for nothine; (d) selection ot the !~oral boy or irl to be the husband or w1fe]; (iv) chlld­ r~n should behave to be competent to inherit; and (v) after the death of parents, children should devote themselves to their duties and express the good wishes and good will. 107

The wife must be ministered by her husband in fiYe ways: (i) appreciate her position ot a 'tulwife'; (11) give her all kinds of respect; (iii) aYoid making love with other girls; (iv) give her full right to be responsible equally with her husband in the house (including training for the family members in soma epactal aspects); and (v) support h8r with love in procuring all kinds of orna~ents .

In turnt the wife should inister to her husband also in five ways1 (i) sincerely nanage all duties 1~ and-outside the house; (ii) affectionately aid for husband's relatives as well as for h~r relatives; (iii) look alter the wealth which her husband i1as earned, and serve the family treasury properly; ( i v) abstain fro, unlawful sexual intercourse with o"Cher ooye (re ain pure and be faithful sincerity to her husband); and

(v) s~o~ encouragement t clev9rness, and efforts in all her activitins and duties.

In addition, for each of them of the family memberst

Buddhism has again taught other rules in ord~r to help each ot them to behave according to these rules of conduct in a proper way, they are called "Laws or successfully doinr, works" which consist of two factors:3° {i) patiPnce (khanti) - one must be al\~ays patient; and (ii) observance (soracca) - one muet try one's best to be always vigilant £or things which have already happened and which are going to happen in the f uture.

These rules of conduct which Buddhism has tau~bt the Cambodians. They are practised for the sake of loTing their members of the family. They prove to be useful while running the Cambodian family life. But actually these Buddhist rulee or conduct haYe been commonly prescribed to all Buddhist countries in the world.

5. The Place for Purity and Holiness tn the Conduct of the Me~bers of the Fami I

-ach C~bodian family ember has to perform his activi­ ties to inculcate uri ty and holiness. Some aspects have dis­ appeared. Some aspects still continue during the present times. There are some dynamic asper.ts, which I will take up as the most im ortant ones are 'the cuttin~ of the top-knot',3l and 'oi n~ into the shade•.32

The 'cuttin'; of the top- knot' or 'cuttine the top tuft

of hair' is also known as t he 'festival of t~e cutting of the top-knot' (Culakantanamangala). It is common to Cambod.ans, • and is compulsory for boys and irls of all ranks in their 9th,

11th, 13th, or 15th year, and it esp~cillay marks their tran­

sition from childhood. It is thq pub~rty ~ite symbolising

paaaa g~ from childho ~ d to adolescence, and in part to adulthood.

Without it, according to t he ancient tradition, boys or ~irle cannot enter monasteries as novices or nuns. Actually, this custom has a Brahman-origin, but it has become an essential rite of the Burldhists. It i s perfor:ned in the first month

after t he birth of each child by a sbavin~ , without any pomp , of all the hair, called ' Kor Sak Prei' (shaving of the wild hair). Thia ahavin ia followed by many others, in which care is taken to leave a little tuft of hair on t he top of the head. 109

This tut't is usually rolled on a valuable pin, and surrounded with a little crown of white flower~, ~iving the most charming effect. It is this tuft which r11ust be shaved with such c~re!!lony. Only 77 or 78 days in the whole year are favourable tor this operation , and the particular day ie fixed by the Hori (fore­ teller) or the Achir (the lay-Buddhist teacher). But usually the ceremony takes place in ·lay. And it can be perfor:ned by t he B ddhist Monks while repeatln ~ their prayers. The other aspect is t he ' entertnr, the shade', but this is only for irls. Until they re of arriageable a e the irls ar9 called 'chaste', and looked upon as brides of Indra •

.1th the first signa of puberty ~hey take the name of 'young

irl', nnd thAy ~o into the shade. In this case, the relatives tie cotton thread round their wrists, and offer a sacrifice to nc store to announce the event to the~ . On the sama day, to the north-P st of the house, t hey plant a banana tre , the fruit f wh ~h ay only be eaten by the 'youn ~ ~ lrl' or sent to t h uddhist monks and nuns, and the Buddhist pr capt­ observe •

The custom of 'ent ~ ring the shade' makes the irl behaTe correctly and according to the tradition. The youn , girl must not allow herselt to be seen by any strange ffian, nor ~~st 1he look at any nan even by stealth, like the monks. She must abstain from food from midday onwards, eat only rico , ealt, coconuts, peas, seasame, and fruit , but eat neither fish nor flesh or any kind. She must take bath only after it ~ ts dark, when no o~e can aee her, and never without her sisters or 110 triends; she must work only in the house, and neTer go out eTen to the monastery. This strict retreat lasts only tor a tew days amon the poor, sometimes tor years among the rich (in the ancient times) . It is interrupted by the occurrence ot an eclipse. Then the 'maiden in the shade' like the pregnant woman , puts an areca knife and a little box containing lime in the knot of her sampot, lights candles and sweet­

amellin sticks, and ~oes out to orship Rihu, the ~onstPr who causes the ecli-pse. He will arown her desires With ood

fortune . She 'hen returns to her retirement. The 'ao i~g out of tha shade ' is ol.. ked by the nouks coulin.P.: to the house to r epeav prayers, and by a banquet . It often ende in anot:1er ceremony preparatory to marriage . During this ceremony they 'do tho teeth'. This 1s Frcaided over by an Achir (lay­ Buddhist-teacher) who spreads white cotton clota on the .t"'ound, and places eight bits of straw on it in the directions of the

ei ht ·points of the ca11pa ~s ; in t h mid1tle 'lf a coconut porringer, a shuttle, a . all cup of Sa rlt (bronze al oy with a little t!Old and silvlllr), and a etal o<'el of a boat ·mich

are covnred T.rtth as any no~'l'r a of pa 'dy (fetchea by 1char

himself f rom t~~ ~rAnnry of the house ) aa t he years of the

girl's a~e. She sits down on th well-arranged heap, an old couple mix up the lacquer for r teeth in front of 1er, wnile seven young boys encourage tha:t by sin in a.1d pretendin to

pound. This lacqugr is then applied ~o t ~ t~sth of the young

girl, wh o is required to preserve it until ~he orning. After a series of jokes and fun from the boys, lffio imi tate the 111

exor cisms or the pray, and a banquet, the youn~ girl oes out i n the ~ orn n~ three times to worship Preah Adit (Sun), the rising sun. er teeth are then cover~d with lampblack , and she does reverence to the do~estic altar, and henceforth ia ready for arriage.

These above- mentioned facts 0f custo~ are practised to satisfy her mates -vrho are intereste~ in her. It is coiii:'lonly known that a Cambo~ian boy wanta to ~et a beautiful ~irl to be his wife and he also wants the wife to have ood ann rs.

(But this custom ia now ditappearin~ in urban soci,:)ty, W!li le it still prevails in the villa es. ) As tar as the custom of cutting of the toP-knot ia con­ cerned, it ia generally round in urban as well as rural r as.

6. Rel:tP."ious ·Practices in the F~ttnily Life

In rd•r to sA£e~ard the family life, a ~ambodian family hna to observe various rituals for its religious pra~ti.c s l'Ihich are concernP-d with its daily-life. T e super­ ior irit and oral 1mard:lan of the daily life of the fa. ily os \:ell as an ·ndividual farnily embAr and family roperty is believed to hold the family life together and ake peaceful and prosp rous. And the stren th of tnis ' family religious conduct' could e dc- veloped by practising various rituals. r'ha varioua rituals or religious practices of a Ca.11bodian family are found d on Buddhist religious teachin s , C~bodjan popular r 11 ious practice, and Drahmanical relieioua practice. 1. Buddhist Religious Practice: It is ac'tuall y known as the philosophy and aoral conduct of the family life. It 112 is first to be merely based on the principal doctrine ot "Sima ·i" {harmony or union) amon, the family members . As Budd hist proverb says: 'Samageinam tapo sukho•33 ('only hannoniee or unions can bring happiness') . To emphasize this doctrine, Buddhism has made the concept of •Household Law'

(Gharavisadhamwa) , which consists of four principlea:34 (i)

truth - one should be trut~ful to each other in the family;

(ii) self-control - one should pr~p re en~ '~ ind to be all­

satisfied with each other's ind in the family; (iii) p3~ience - one should try to be patlent always , learn not to 1arbour anp,er nnd prejudice about oth t•a ln the fa!llily; ( i ,, } sharing

things • one should leal'Il to 1harA one ' a own tl1 i nes ui th othars in the family without ocoring one's own self"shness

(in this article, Buddhist. pt>O\' rb has nlso confirmed t.hat: "Ekisi na labhote sukham"35, ' .atiue o.lono nevor brings hapoi'kess'). Ioreover, llh.:.le doalinr; uith Buddhist religious practice,

in a Ca bo tan family hou ~ , a S'!lall altar iu built for keeP­

i ng Duddha statu and tho 8) ci.al symbol of Ancosto.~.s ( .wo on-t.a or !.e- 9 a) for dail y pract.icG. 'fo perfon .. the daily prac"\.lce,

i s to pray or repeut so1:.ething litt...Le to tne Bl4ddha , ha~iillla , Sangha, and Don-ta and Davata. T.e head of the .ramily or any othQr Oi t he far.aily member perf o~ s daily a f::hort r itual hy lighting a candle and an incense, J.nd place on t he altar and

tl1~n a short pray r is repQat d . .1he ritual of offering of flowezo s to the altar can be ade t'or every :1oliday - the eighth day and the fourteenth or fifteenth day of each month. 113

Along with t h e above principal practices, several festivals are also practised by the family, namely, the one named •Bon- katannu' (festival for expressing gratitude), it is neces5ary for children to perfo~ for the parents who are still alive, but it is not for daily practice; it is to be performed only on some day; and oth~r is 'Bon- ilakkhi~inuppa­ dana' (festival for expressing one's devotion to one's ancestors), it i s c o~. on to all o£ the family- oembers who are alive to parfo& f r those f ami l y nembers ·rh o have already died. 1.'1e t .lO f stival of f amtly l i fe can be pel'fomed in difi' r nt trays. Ono \toy, tl ey are perfo~ad by an assembly of th. ~aoil y-mc~be~S n the )resenCP. of th~ statue ~f the

B•Jddhn und Budd list .,on''D and una. 1'h~ ot~Ar way, they are per mod by 11n r tun only in t h ' >t"fl son eft of the HtRtue of thB Bu dha or y ju5t r mernh~:r:tn the Buddha, D'h.a~ a, and

San ·ha, by t hos f m·l:tes' 10 liv~ 1ar ~ay from th~ onastqry.

I n odd~tion , ' Bon- Dakkhina u r. pad~ a ' is also perfo ed only • on sc. occa&ional day, not ~or aily pra~tice . Resides, the fectiv·l~ of t f am jly lifo have nlso been included - the t~stivals of t he 'cutting of th top-knot' and 'entering the shade and &Oil ~ut of the shade ' (see Section 5 of this chapt er); L.he f stival of offa rin ~ cake ( 'Pinda) to anc s'tora

(see ~a cti o n 2 of ~hapt r 1!); t he W9nd1ng pray rs (aee

Section? of t ~ ts ~hapte r}; the ~ ornin . pray,rs (sPe Section

3 f Chapt~r VI ...... d S~ction 1 of t his chapter); tho r.etl House Inau ural Pray r•j; 36 and thP. fAstival of the ' developing of 11~

a e' (birthday). These are succeerled by th& asse~bly of family­ members in the resence of Buddhist monks to repeat or recite the pra~rs along with sprinklin of the water to the things of the ceremony and the listeners. However, these are also perfor.m9d only on aome occasional days, not for daily practice.

2. Cambodian Popular Religious Practice: It is a

Cambodian racial r~li~~ue ractice which always deals with thft various B'lp~r-natut'al now rs. A faO!lily shoulc p~rform a c~rtain function tf} Dlease the surernatural powers llhich refers to t h cbjects Df eli'!fs. T atn supernatural po\>lere which are worshipped in the family are ae follows:37

i) tlak-Ta: In the first ranlc of good spir:l.ts, we 1ust place Nak- Ta , who SP.em to be local 'tut~lary divinities", some­ tim s Cambodians call Brah Ind (Inda) . The duty of lak-Ta is to !m rd a portion of the faoily propt'1rti s such as land and movable oods. The ritual of worship to the 1Jak-Ta, is called 'Leune; Na1<-Ta' (climbing to Nak-Ta) . It ls performed once in a year. he thin s which utust be off red to che Uak- Ta during the ritual, consist of food, wine , and living bird and animal auch as livin" chicken and buffalo. A Camborlian family, espe­ cielly in rural areas, nev r fails to do it. The Nak-Ta is symbolized by thft figure of a human being. Nak-ta can dwell in the fine old trees and i n the cottage which is established by a f8JI\1ly.

ii) ~ Beside the Nal·-ta, th re is the 'Arak (•Pali: rakkha Devata, 'tutelary deities'). Arak are the • 115 second rank of ood spirits, or tutelary geni i , who dwell in trees or in nouses, and take special care ot individuals in the family, The Arak seem to be the human ancestors, as the Nak- ta are t he Divine ancestors. The Arak of the family is nearly always a relative or long dead friend, who acta as the protector of the group, loved by him. He is the best and the most precious of the Don-ta (~ ancestors, in the sense ot grandfat ~rs) of his prot~~~ . The Arak is invoked especially in cas~s of illness. Every year, in January, February, and larch, a ~reat festival is held in honour of ~he Araks. It is call ed 'Leung Rong or Panjan Arak or Leang Ara.k' (t}te exaltation of the shAd) . Durin~ the ritual, blossoms froM t he fr n ipani tr~e ( Plumeria Alba, Linn) are offerAd to the Araks . HOl..-ever, tne ideal of .\rak' s practices are dominant in most of the ru~al areAs rath9r than the urban areas.

Besides, other sub-natural objects have also been in­ cluded in the Cambodian popular religious practices for the family-life. But they are found in a rural family rather than in an urban family. 7hoee sub- natural objects are - wicked dead; oblin; an absent-minded person; sorcerers, sorceresses, and soothsayers; ghouls; ghosts; and the powerful ghost who can chan ~e the size of his body (Asurakay} . These are actually the representative- roups of evil spirits. But in order to defeat these evil spirits, a family should perfonR a ritual by offering food , wine, sweats etc. This ritual is called '~en Ber' or 'Choun Ber' (offering things to the evil 116

spirits). The ritual of •Sen Ber' , consists of: red rica, white rice, grenn rice, ashes, betel, areca-nut, tobacco,

candle, incense, wine, and hea~ed salt. It is remarkable that the practices regardine these evil spirits are not coiDlllon even in rural areas. Only those families who believe in them and who are more respectable among the families in the country­

side \ Th o stay in the mountains or jungles near to the

"abori6 i nal natural pow rs" ob~erve them.

Along with t he evil spir its mentioned above, the other '•Superstitions and Various Bel iefs" could also be found, such as: the cotton plant, bamboo, frangipani tree , and banana

tree are not allo ·~d t o row ~~ar the housa , they may bring

bad luck to the !~~ lly . The Wild tiger , elephant, and CrOW

etc. are also n~t ~llo~ed to e~ter the areas ,r the house ,

they ay brin~ bad luck to t ha fam ily; and wnen t here is a

storm or an ax~essive rainfall, a knife is place among t he cinder s on t'le haarth or sometimes, the rice is thrown out

of the house ~hen any stor•11 co · es. These customs are also not

very co ~~ 1 on. They were more pra~ ti sa d in the olden times and are out of nractice now.

) . Brah 1an teal elir;.ioua Pra-:!tice : It has 81 trvived

only thro'1 ~h ita 1v~me now. ~van i n the olden times, it could not influnnce tiuch an ordinary CambodiP..n family. It could

influ~nce only thA noble and royal faoilies. ijowevor , its

practtce was recJrderl only in the An~kor periods by oo~e ot

tho a~ kings who wors'hipped Brah aniS!a. Of hich, '' ••• ~uch 117 images, called Devariip, 'F'i .urea of Gods', served as 'House­ hold Divinities' (Kula DeTata) on the altars in household chapels. They represent the divinities into whose worship the me•bers of the families that owned the• were initiated by their Brahman house-priests."3g But Buddhist and Cambodian popular religious practices both have been working to . th~r in a family life ot a Cambodian, since Bud dhia ar 1 v d :i.n C mbodia.

'o sum u ,, :e ~an suy thec;e r ~l i ~ious practic o aim a~ b1~n~ing 1noral justice, appiness, prosperity, ~armony and develo 1 nt t o t ·1e fa ily-li.fe as ·.uJll as the so~ial life ot

Ca'11bod1a . Althou~ 1 t ile Carnbodia11s are v J~Y • uch 'lttnc' ed to the nract.ices in Buddhisut, a v3ry pure a~.1 d strict religion is not to be expected of the popular and the Brahmanical reli~ious practices. But Caubodian people have concluded them into 'a -.~oarn on oal practice' , which a family performs as only 'one ri~ual~ but it serves to reoind people of t he trinities . The first is the Triple Gem of Buddhist Principle which consj sts of Buddha, Dhawma, and San,;ha; tho second ia t~e Popular Religion which consists of Nak-ta, rak, and

Devat ; and the third is the Brahmanism Htic1 consists of Prah Bra _Lna and t ha Disciples. They are ixed up with each other n a friendly - nner in the family life or Camboiia , though they are not practised in a uniform way. 11~

1. ThOtJlpson, V. French Indo-China, let published 1937, p. )25.

2. H s~ings J. Encyclopaedia or Rftli~ion and ~thics , Vol. 3, i910, p. 155. 3. Steinberg, D.J. Cambodia, Revised 195?, pp. 79, So, g1.

4. Hasting3, J . op.ci~., p. 155 cf. 5. Ibid., p. 155 cf. 6. Ibid., p . 155 cr. '7 . !hit~., PP • 162, 16). a. Steinberg, D.J • op.ci.t., p. ~3 . 9. Hastings, ..r. op. cit., p. 164. 10. Steinberg , D. ,T. op.ctt., p . l15 . 11. Ibid., p . gl. 12. Hastings, J . op.cit., p. 164 cf. 1). Ibid., p . 1C.5.

14. Ibid. 1 p. 165 cr. 15. 1bH1 ., p. 165 c:. 16. Steinbertt, D. J • op. cit., p. t!J . .lea, Ouk. Lokanitipakarn, 1936, p. 8. 17. • 1fl. Sum, Chhim. Adhippaya Gat.ha Dhammapada, Vol. 1, lst edition, l:5o, p. 1. 19. Ibid., p . 4. . 20. · olyvana, Vann. !uaique Xb:n& re, 19!J9 , p. 104.

21. .Sal, Fich (.· l'S,). I~e f4ariage Jan1bodr,ier~, No . 3, pp. 1 ' 2 ' L. ' 12. 22. Steinb r , D.J. op.cit., p. ?a. ll9

23. Ganakammakaradhammavinaya (Dhammavinaya Commit tee). Frachc~-Kon g-Dharm (Groups of Dhamma), Vol. 1, 2nd edition, 1952, p. 19.

24. Lan, ,~ . Snapreah-bost Kroy-pang-aos Uei Samdech f reah . ~hasunedhadhipati Chuon Nat (Latter Writings of Samdech Preah t·.ahasumadnadhipati Chuon Nat), 1970, p. 2. 25. Steinberg, D.J. op.cit., p. 7g. 26. Ar mstrong, J . P. Sihanouk Speaks, 1064, p. 15. 27 . \riener, Ph, P. Dict ional'Y of the History of Ideas, Vol . 1, Revjspd 1973, p. 248. 2g. Xhim, to. Nsvakovada: lst edition 2403 B. :., p. 53 .

29, Dh~~avinava Commit ee. Jrou .s of Dha~ha , Vol. 1, 2nd editio~ , 195~, p. 55. 30. bid., p. 1.

31 . Has~ i n'~ , J. op.cit., p. 162. 32 . !bin., • 163. JJ. Ga.."l.a'lfammakaradhet'tma"'inaYa (Dhammavinaya Cor:.""littee). S a.sanasubha~i t ( r~~ligi.otts ProvPrb), Vol. l, 2:ld edition, 1952, p. 8l~ .

34 . Khi~ , I~ . op.cit., p~ . QJ, 94.

35 . Dh~avinaya ~ o1nmittee , Sasanaouhhasit, Vol. 1, 2nd edition, 1952, p. 58 . 36. asttnus, J . op.cit., p . 155 ct. 37 . I bid., pp . 157, 158, 159.

3~ . Zimmer, H. The Art of Indian Asia, Vol . 1, 1955, p. 370 .