People pour water on statues of Buddha as they pray during the celebrations for Khmer New Year, locally known as Sangkrant, in Kampong Chhnang province on April 15, 2024. Photo by TANG CHHIN Sothy / AFP
PHNOM PENH – Prime Minister Hun Manet says he hopes that Sangkranta will be inscribed in UNESCO’s World Heritage List soon and called for nationwide organization of the event at Khmer New Year.
Maha Sangkranta is the ceremonial and symbolic start of the New Year and is rich in cultural and religious significance. The event usually take place in mid-April and is one of the most important traditional ceremonies in Cambodia.
This year’s event runs from April 14 to 16. The main event will be Angkor Sangkranta in Siem Reap. Activities include folk games, art performance, much-anticipated water splashing and other religious ceremonies.
Addressing a Mar. 5 gathering to celebrate National Culture Day, which was on Mar. 3, Hun Manet called for Sangkranta to be organised in every province and district.
“This year, at Angkor Wat, we are organizing Angkor Sangkranta and performing arts, but throughout the country, we need to organize more at the provincial and district levels, and encourage more folk games to preserve and promote our culture,” he said.
The Prime Minister said that he hoped Sangkranta will be added to UNESCO’s heritage list soon. He said that Sangkranta is not exclusively owned by any country.
“Countries with similar culture have their own rights,” he said. “It is not different from kun Khmer and muay Thai and other marital arts. Each country has similar culture. We propose what is ours. There is no prohibition.”
While Maha Sangkranta is distinctly Cambodian, similar New Year celebrations exist in Southeast Asian countries like Thailand, Laos and Myanmar. Thailand and Myanmar had their New Year inscribed in UNESCO’s list in 2023 and 2024 respectivley.
Cambodia has eyed 2026 for Maha Sangkranta to be added in UNESCO’s list. Last month, the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts held its first workshop to collect documents for inscription. The second workshop is planned for Mar. 14.
source: https://cambodianess.com/article/pm-expects-sangkranta-on-unesco-list-soon
