By Ung Chamroeun
Cambodge Soir Hebdo
Translated from French by Luc Sâr
At its origin, it was a western tradition, the celebration of the lovers implanted itself in Cambodia, to the great delight of the younger generations. Older generations are more hesitating, fearing to see in it the loss of Cambodian values.
Asked about the date for the celebration of Independence, or for any religious festival for that matter, then the youths could hesitate with their replies. On the other hand, for this 14 February, the youths will all tell you that it is Valentine, the celebration date for lovers. Most of the Cambodians take advantage of this western tradition to exchange gifts while declaring their love. Flowers stands are dotting the city streets almost everywhere.
Most of the night clubs and restaurants have a special celebration for this event also. For its part, the Apsara TV channel (owned by Hun Sen’s daughter) will dedicate a full week, between 11-17 February, of shows dedicated to love themes.
Obviously, Valentine is also a commercial celebration. Under normal circumstance, one rose stem costs between 1,500 to 2,000 riels ($0.38 to $0.50), but during this occasion, its price rises to at least one dollar per stem. “The young customers spend money without regret to buy flowers and to display their feelings. I am happy when 14 February is approaching,” said Bopha, a flower merchant near the central market. “If the boys buy flowers for sentimental reasons, the girls offer them for friendship,” she said.
For the last few years, the youths skip schools on this day to celebrate the event with their loved ones … to the chagrin of the teachers who remind them that this celebration is taking place smack in the middle of exam seasons!
The older generations see in these types of events a loss of Cambodian values. On the other hand, Srey Ta, a student of the Boeung Trabek high school in Phnom Penh, believes that this is positive because Cambodia can be seen as not being cut off from the rest of the world. Niroan, her friend, chimed his: “It would be strange if the youths wouldn’t celebrate this popular tradition. Valentine is a good thing, because it encourages us to openly declare our flame.”
Mak Sartah, the president of the Youth Council, warns the youths from distorting the meaning of the celebration of the lovers. “Some girls lose their virginity because they want to show their love to their boyfriends. Others are being cheated by their friends on this day. The number of those who catch the AIDS virus and the number of girls who become pregnant out-of-wedlock is increasing during this period.” The Children Support Foundation (CSF) takes advantage of this occasion to meet the youths at their hangouts. This is the fourth year that this organization leads a prevention campaign funded by the Church Service Cambodia NGO. Volunteers distribute information brochure on AIDS and red ribbons to fight against this illness, along supermarkets, public parks, schools and universities. “We choose this date because during this celebration, the youths sometimes make mistakes,” explained Serey Vuth, the CSF director.
Miech Ponn, the expert in Khmer culture at the Buddhist Institute, explained that the celebration of the lovers is not something new in Cambodia. “In the past, Cambodians loved to offer gifts to declare their love or to display their friendship between husband and wife, between parents and children, between teachers and students, or between neighbors. One can celebrate love any day of the week. In our country, there is no day for hatred.” The 75-year-old curator considers that Valentine is a “coup d’état within the Cambodian tradition.” He believes that the commercial aspect of this celebration has a negative impact, and he noted that men take advantage of this event to seduce young girls. “Do the foreigners celebrate in their country the Khmer New Year, the festival of the dead, the Meak Bochea, the Visak Bochea like we do in Cambodia? Therefore, Cambodians do not have to celebrate the events that have nothing to do with their country at all,” Miech Ponn concluded.
Asked about the date for the celebration of Independence, or for any religious festival for that matter, then the youths could hesitate with their replies. On the other hand, for this 14 February, the youths will all tell you that it is Valentine, the celebration date for lovers. Most of the Cambodians take advantage of this western tradition to exchange gifts while declaring their love. Flowers stands are dotting the city streets almost everywhere.
Most of the night clubs and restaurants have a special celebration for this event also. For its part, the Apsara TV channel (owned by Hun Sen’s daughter) will dedicate a full week, between 11-17 February, of shows dedicated to love themes.
Obviously, Valentine is also a commercial celebration. Under normal circumstance, one rose stem costs between 1,500 to 2,000 riels ($0.38 to $0.50), but during this occasion, its price rises to at least one dollar per stem. “The young customers spend money without regret to buy flowers and to display their feelings. I am happy when 14 February is approaching,” said Bopha, a flower merchant near the central market. “If the boys buy flowers for sentimental reasons, the girls offer them for friendship,” she said.
For the last few years, the youths skip schools on this day to celebrate the event with their loved ones … to the chagrin of the teachers who remind them that this celebration is taking place smack in the middle of exam seasons!
The older generations see in these types of events a loss of Cambodian values. On the other hand, Srey Ta, a student of the Boeung Trabek high school in Phnom Penh, believes that this is positive because Cambodia can be seen as not being cut off from the rest of the world. Niroan, her friend, chimed his: “It would be strange if the youths wouldn’t celebrate this popular tradition. Valentine is a good thing, because it encourages us to openly declare our flame.”
Mak Sartah, the president of the Youth Council, warns the youths from distorting the meaning of the celebration of the lovers. “Some girls lose their virginity because they want to show their love to their boyfriends. Others are being cheated by their friends on this day. The number of those who catch the AIDS virus and the number of girls who become pregnant out-of-wedlock is increasing during this period.” The Children Support Foundation (CSF) takes advantage of this occasion to meet the youths at their hangouts. This is the fourth year that this organization leads a prevention campaign funded by the Church Service Cambodia NGO. Volunteers distribute information brochure on AIDS and red ribbons to fight against this illness, along supermarkets, public parks, schools and universities. “We choose this date because during this celebration, the youths sometimes make mistakes,” explained Serey Vuth, the CSF director.
Miech Ponn, the expert in Khmer culture at the Buddhist Institute, explained that the celebration of the lovers is not something new in Cambodia. “In the past, Cambodians loved to offer gifts to declare their love or to display their friendship between husband and wife, between parents and children, between teachers and students, or between neighbors. One can celebrate love any day of the week. In our country, there is no day for hatred.” The 75-year-old curator considers that Valentine is a “coup d’état within the Cambodian tradition.” He believes that the commercial aspect of this celebration has a negative impact, and he noted that men take advantage of this event to seduce young girls. “Do the foreigners celebrate in their country the Khmer New Year, the festival of the dead, the Meak Bochea, the Visak Bochea like we do in Cambodia? Therefore, Cambodians do not have to celebrate the events that have nothing to do with their country at all,” Miech Ponn concluded.
