BRIDGET BROWN/THE NEWS TRIBUNE FILESarina Lek, left, and Maney Orm prepare for a dance at last year’s Bon Om Tuk event. The festival features dances in the traditions of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and other Asian-Pacific areas.
DEBBIE CAFAZZO
The News Tribune (Tacoma, Wash., USA)
Published: August 18th, 2006
Members of the Northwest Cambodian community will join with others Saturday in Tacoma to celebrate Bon Om Tuk, a water festival that honors Cambodia’s boat racing tradition.
Travelers who have visited Phnom Penh during the festival tell stories of crowds and gridlock, almost as if the entire nation had converged on the capital city.
That’s how Daran Kravanh, one of the organizers of the Tacoma festival, remembers it, too.
He recalls seeing hundreds of boats compete at Bon Om Tuk in Cambodia, some with as many as 120 rowers in a single vessel. The last time he celebrated Bon Om Tuk in Cambodia was in 1974, just before the Khmer Rouge regime took over and brutalized the nation. Kravanh left Cambodia in 1984 and came to Tacoma in 1988.
“I want to be part of the community, bring some knowledge,” he says. “I want to beautify the city and Washington state.”
He also hopes to instill a love for Cambodian tradition in the community’s youth.
While the Tacoma event won’t be quite as crowded as the annual event in Phnom Penh, Kravanh expects participants from Oregon, Canada and throughout the Puget Sound region.
Here’s what you need to know if you go.
WHAT: Bon Om Tuk.
WHEN: Boat racing and opening ceremonies start at 9 a.m. Saturday; the festival is scheduled to run until 10 p.m.
WHERE: Thea’s Park, 405 Dock St., Tacoma.
MORE TO SEE AND DO: In addition to rowing competitions, the festival will offer live music, dancing and drumming, martial arts demonstrations and, of course, food. Dancers will demonstrate traditions from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and other Asian-Pacific cultures. You can learn some traditional dance steps as well.
LISTEN FOR: Performance of a song written by Kravanh, “We Are All One,” that describes all the people who come together to make the festival a success. Lyrics include words in the languages of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos and in English.
Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635
Travelers who have visited Phnom Penh during the festival tell stories of crowds and gridlock, almost as if the entire nation had converged on the capital city.
That’s how Daran Kravanh, one of the organizers of the Tacoma festival, remembers it, too.
He recalls seeing hundreds of boats compete at Bon Om Tuk in Cambodia, some with as many as 120 rowers in a single vessel. The last time he celebrated Bon Om Tuk in Cambodia was in 1974, just before the Khmer Rouge regime took over and brutalized the nation. Kravanh left Cambodia in 1984 and came to Tacoma in 1988.
“I want to be part of the community, bring some knowledge,” he says. “I want to beautify the city and Washington state.”
He also hopes to instill a love for Cambodian tradition in the community’s youth.
While the Tacoma event won’t be quite as crowded as the annual event in Phnom Penh, Kravanh expects participants from Oregon, Canada and throughout the Puget Sound region.
Here’s what you need to know if you go.
WHAT: Bon Om Tuk.
WHEN: Boat racing and opening ceremonies start at 9 a.m. Saturday; the festival is scheduled to run until 10 p.m.
WHERE: Thea’s Park, 405 Dock St., Tacoma.
MORE TO SEE AND DO: In addition to rowing competitions, the festival will offer live music, dancing and drumming, martial arts demonstrations and, of course, food. Dancers will demonstrate traditions from Cambodia, Laos, Thailand and other Asian-Pacific cultures. You can learn some traditional dance steps as well.
LISTEN FOR: Performance of a song written by Kravanh, “We Are All One,” that describes all the people who come together to make the festival a success. Lyrics include words in the languages of Cambodia, Thailand and Laos and in English.
Debbie Cafazzo: 253-597-8635
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