PHNOM PENH: Students and teachers at Golden Gate American School (GGAS) have spent weeks preparing for their Khmer New Year celebration, Sangkranta. Some have been practicing their roles in the Trot dance while others have been preparing food and marketing strategies for their booths. Whatever their contribution to the festivities, the students are excited to celebrate with their Golden Gate peers and teachers.
Students were asked what Khmer New Year means to them and responded with sweet sentiments of togetherness and quality time.
Working the boba tea booth, Thaysind, 12, said, “My favorite part of Khmer New Year is spending more time with my family and going somewhere. I like to hang out with them. Like, going to the beach or going to old temples.” Twelve-year-old Marika said, “It means happiness and everyone uniting together and having fun. And like, everyone, the younger people and the older people [come together].”
A major feature of Sangkranta are vendors selling all manner of things. Students have decorated and stocked dozens of booths at the festival, where one can purchase traditional Khmer food, refreshing drinks, traditional shaved ice, waffles, ice cream, and more! Providing for the needy is an integral part of the three day celebration and students are trying to sell as much as they can to raise money for charity.
Summer Breeze is a popular booth returning from last year’s celebration. Selling refreshing fruit drinks, the stall is a favorite among the students. Seventeen year old Sam has put a lot of thought into the marketing of his stall, incorporating the Easter bunny into the Khmer celebration of the year of the rabbit. He is entering university next year where he plans to study business finance. Clearly, he is already honing his skills and developing a passion for business. “I just really want my stall to get a lot of profit and I want it to be so much fun!” he exclaimed.
Jenny, 15, contributed to the festivities by preparing food. “I made this traditional Khmer food, it’s called koung. It’s where you have a lot of vegetables and shrimp and pork belly wrapped in with a special sauce. I made it,” she said proudly.
When asked about the foods they enjoy, most students responded with various Khmer foods. Thirteen year old Monica says of Nom Banh Chok, “it’s just delicious!” Many students had a singular focus on getting a cold sweet treat that day. When asked what she was most excited about for the day, six-year-old Moom had two words, “Ice cream.” Moom is a grade one student from GGAS campus six who was so excited to come to the event, she lost sleep over it. “[Last night] I didn’t want to sleep because I wanted to go to campus seven!” she said.
In addition to celebrating Khmer New Year, the school was also hosting its 3rd annual Cultural Day. In the spirit of bringing people together, teachers from other countries were invited to share their own culture and food with the students. The American booth served hot dogs and sliders, the English provided cucumber sandwiches, while the South African teachers prepared homemade pap (a porridge topped with grilled meat and sauce) with authentic imported ingredients.
Inside the school, students of grade 4 and 5 treated guests to a traditional Trot performance. Some students dressed in beautiful handmade costumes portraying a deer, a hunter (complete with bow and arrow), peacocks, giants, ghosts and more. Other students contributed to the musical elements of the show: singing, playing drums and beating staffs attached to bells to tell the story of a down-on-his-luck hunter who comes across a golden deer and brings great happiness to the village. Eleven-year-old Hong played the deer this year.“We trained a long time,” he said, and it showed in the expressive and beautiful performance the students gave.
Some students spoke about visiting family in the provinces while others will be staying in Phnom Penh. Sokmeas and Phea,15, were enthusiastic about the festivities being held at Wat Phnom in the capital. When asked if they would be going, Sokmeas exclaimed, “Of course! For the Sangkranta, yeah!” Summer Breeze Sam is excited to return to his hometown of Siem Reap, where the Angkor Sankranta fest is the largest in the country .Students were enthusiastic about traditional Khmer games played during the holiday. Almost each one had a different favorite, showing the broad appeal of the games.
Students at GGAS appreciate the school’s efforts to make learning an active process. Mony is an outgoing 13-year-old who remarked, “I like this school because they host a lot of events every year, so the students aren’t bored.” Referring to this year’s Sangkranta, Sokmeas said, “I think it’s nice because they want us to work as a team, to communicate, [learn] how to talk, to be confident, you know?” It’s clear that the school’s efforts are paying off to promote confidence, joy and a sense of community amongst its students.
