Cambodian Water Festival (Bon Om Touk).
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The official Cambodian language, known in English as Khmer, belongs to the Eastern Mon-Khmer group of the Mon-Khmer language family. Employing a script which (like Thai and Burmese) is believed to have evolved from southern Indian Brahmi, Khmer is one of the few non-tonal languages in South East Asia.
It has been widely agreed in academia that Poshui Jie (the Water-splashing Festiva)lis the New Year Festival on the calendar of the Dai (an ethnic group living in China’s Yunnan). It is perplexing,however,that the festival is not celebrated on the first day of the first.
The culture of Cambodia has had a rich and varied history dating back many centuries, and has been heavily influenced by India. Throughout Cambodia's long history, a major source of inspiration was from religion. Throughout nearly two millennia, Cambodians developed a unique Khmer belief from the syncreticism of indigenous animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of Buddhism and Hinduism.
Even though Thingyan has now been fixed in mid-April, its current date is a welcome position in the calendar as it occurs at the hottest time of the year in Myanmar and being a water festival, it is a great opportunity to cool down and get some relief from the sweltering heat.
During the Khmer Rouge regime, a socialist-communist regime which lasted from 1975 to 1979, an entire society was destroyed overnight. Markets and banks were demolished, schools and hospitals were torn down, families were forcibly removed from their homes and evacuated from city centers to the countryside to labor for Angkar, or the “Organization.”.
We can read about Water Splashing Festival everywhere in history book,newspapers,but we seldom see the systematic research into the origin,function and effect of this festival.This article,based on the previous study,will have a deep research and correct some errors and wrong interpretation of this festival.This essay will lay stress on the relation between and water and the Dai People in.