• Society

Sangkranta High School Perpetuates Khmer New Year’s Traditions in Schoolyards

• By Te Chhaysinh
• April 3, 2023 3:20 PM

PHNOM PENH – As Khmer New Year is approaching, celebrations and games begin to flourish across Cambodia. To keep bringing traditional festivities to the courtyards and bring together students from different schools and backgrounds, a group of young Cambodians started to organize special events in some of Phnom Penh’s high schools.

Their group, called Sangkranta, was founded in 2016 by 11 students of Hun Sen Champuvoin High School, in Chom Chao district. They wanted to foster unity among high school students, promote Khmer culture, and guide juniors' event management skills.

Their first Sangkran attracted more than 10,000 students from different schools, coming to play traditional games, such as Leak Kon Saeng (the hidden scarf game) or Sdech Jang (the king game), and share a piece of Khmer culture together.

Based on such a success, the Sangkranta High School team decided to continue organizing festivals in the following years and started to set up bigger events, not only at Hun Sen Champuvoin High School but also at other facilities in town.

Their group, called Sangkranta, was founded in 2016 by 11 students of Hun Sen Champuvoin High School, in Chom Chao district. Photo provided

“I used to hear about high school students who disliked each other only because they didn’t study in the same facility, with cases of violence happening,” said Sari Puthirith, vice chairman of the Sangkran team, who is no longer a student at the school where everything started–as the other 10 co-founders.

“I wanted to develop a sense of unity among the high school students so that everyone can enjoy the Sangkranta event together.”

While the second edition of the festival attracted 15,000 people in 2017, the third one, organized in 2018 at Cheasim Samaki High School, was attended by 30,000 students. The following year broke records, with 45,000 people coming to the celebrations, which were held at Indradevi High School.

Unfortunately, the COVID-19 pandemic stopped that momentum. With no possibility of holding any public gatherings for more than two years, the group has not been able to organize their traditional Sangkranta High School for three years.

But with the pandemic now being a memory of the past, a new team has taken the reins of the organization and the fifth edition of the festival has been held this year. It has been celebrated on April 1, 2, and 3 at Champuvoin High School, from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Sari Puthirith said the transfer of management skills to the next generation has always been one of his goals.

Over the years, Sangkranta has become a great annual opportunity to spread an understanding of the Khmer traditional culture among the youth. Photo provided

“After we moved on to another high school, we saw that the students could run their Sangkranta high school on their own,” he said.

Over the years, Sangkranta has become a great annual opportunity to spread an understanding of the Khmer traditional culture among the youth.

“We not only provide fun entertainment but also want to make the youth understand more about the culture. We created a Khmer Village as part of the festival, where everyone could enjoy and learn about Khmer traditional dance and Khmer instruments,” Puthirith said.

Being concerned about plastic pollution in Cambodia, the organization set up a dedicated team to take care of the trash and advocate for reducing the use of plastic in students’ day-to-day life.

The team wants to make Sangkran a safe place for everyone to enjoy and promote unity and culture at the same time. His team has worked with the local officials and school management to prepare a clean and safe environment for everyone.

In 2023, Khmer New Year will be celebrated on April 14, 15, and 16. It is the biggest holiday in Cambodia, largely celebrated nationwide, with people visiting their hometowns, going to pagodas, or enjoying some free time to go to the country’s main tourist destinations.

In 2023, Khmer New Year will be celebrated on April 14, 15, and 16. Photo provided