By Samantha Gonzaga, Staff writer
Long Beach Press Telegram
LONG BEACH — For this Cambodian New Year of the Dog, Danny Vong visited the homeland in order to bring something special to Long Beach the steps and chants for the Trot Dance.
Representing a deer hunt, the dance is performed at the start of the new year to increase prosperity and reinforce bonds in the community.
"It fits perfectly for the new year," said Vong, president of the Cambodia Coordinating Committee, which organized Saturday's day-long event at El Dorado Park. "We clean out the old and start new."
The dance was featured during the new year festivities at El Dorado Park, where thousands gathered to enjoy live entertainment, browse merchandise booths, play games and feast on native cuisine. Children chased one another with squirt guns and silly string cans, while teenagers cheered friends performing on stage. Families erected tents, unfurled picnic blankets and fired up their own barbecue grills and took part in the merrymaking.
Cambodian New Year celebrations continue today with a 10 a.m. parade on Anaheim Street between Junipero and Orange avenues, and another festival at MacArthur Park. On Monday, the Cambodian Association Council will hold a candlelight vigil and meeting from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2390 Pacific Ave., in remembrance of the 31st anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's "killing fields" genocide. The event will be followed by a candlelight vigil at MacArthur Park.
More than 100 spectators crowded under the main stage's tent Saturday to watch a continuous program of piano solos, hip-hop performances and a string of folk dances depicting courtship, human nature and appreciation for the earth's bounty.
"I'm just here to see everyone, show off some skills and have fun," said Long Beach resident Samrach Em as he adjusted his crown of tall, green feathers.
The 16-year-old was one of about a dozen costumed teens who took part in the Peacock Dance, typically performed as a prayer for rain and good crops. Legend says it originated in the Cambodian province of Pusat, where farmers gathering cardamom flowers in the mountains spied peacocks and peahens dancing in the breeze.
Some used the event to publicize services to the community.
Khmer Girls in Action, a 3-year-old nonprofit group that educates the Southeast Asian community on social justice issues, displayed books penned by local teenage girls and women, and answered questions on immigrant and refugee rights.
"We're here to let the community know about us," said staff member Sophya Chum, 22. "We're still new, still fresh."
Like the Chinese, Cambodians use a lunar calendar and follow a 12-year cycle that assigns each year to one of 12 astrological animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Samantha Gonzaga can be reached at
samantha.gonzaga@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1284.
Representing a deer hunt, the dance is performed at the start of the new year to increase prosperity and reinforce bonds in the community.
"It fits perfectly for the new year," said Vong, president of the Cambodia Coordinating Committee, which organized Saturday's day-long event at El Dorado Park. "We clean out the old and start new."
The dance was featured during the new year festivities at El Dorado Park, where thousands gathered to enjoy live entertainment, browse merchandise booths, play games and feast on native cuisine. Children chased one another with squirt guns and silly string cans, while teenagers cheered friends performing on stage. Families erected tents, unfurled picnic blankets and fired up their own barbecue grills and took part in the merrymaking.
Cambodian New Year celebrations continue today with a 10 a.m. parade on Anaheim Street between Junipero and Orange avenues, and another festival at MacArthur Park. On Monday, the Cambodian Association Council will hold a candlelight vigil and meeting from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 2390 Pacific Ave., in remembrance of the 31st anniversary of the Khmer Rouge's "killing fields" genocide. The event will be followed by a candlelight vigil at MacArthur Park.
More than 100 spectators crowded under the main stage's tent Saturday to watch a continuous program of piano solos, hip-hop performances and a string of folk dances depicting courtship, human nature and appreciation for the earth's bounty.
"I'm just here to see everyone, show off some skills and have fun," said Long Beach resident Samrach Em as he adjusted his crown of tall, green feathers.
The 16-year-old was one of about a dozen costumed teens who took part in the Peacock Dance, typically performed as a prayer for rain and good crops. Legend says it originated in the Cambodian province of Pusat, where farmers gathering cardamom flowers in the mountains spied peacocks and peahens dancing in the breeze.
Some used the event to publicize services to the community.
Khmer Girls in Action, a 3-year-old nonprofit group that educates the Southeast Asian community on social justice issues, displayed books penned by local teenage girls and women, and answered questions on immigrant and refugee rights.
"We're here to let the community know about us," said staff member Sophya Chum, 22. "We're still new, still fresh."
Like the Chinese, Cambodians use a lunar calendar and follow a 12-year cycle that assigns each year to one of 12 astrological animals: Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake, Horse, Goat, Monkey, Rooster, Dog and Pig.
Samantha Gonzaga can be reached at
samantha.gonzaga@presstelegram.com or (562) 499-1284.
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