Cambodia

Cluster 1 VII-Saint Maria Goretti

Religion of Cambodia
Buddhism is the official religion of Cambodia.
Approximately 97% of Cambodia's population
follows Theravada Buddhism, with Islam,
Christianity, and tribal animism making up
the bulk of the small remainder.
The wat (Buddhist monastery)
and Sangha (monkhood), together with
essential Buddhist doctrines such as
reincarnation and the accumulation of merit,
are at the centre of religious life, but
interact with indigenous beliefs such as the
central role of ancestors and spirits.
 Culture and
Tradition of Combodia
The Royal Ballet of Cambodia
Throughout Cambodia's long history, religion
has been a major source of cultural
inspiration. Over nearly two millennia,
Cambodians have developed a unique Khmer
belief from the syncreticism of indigenous
animistic beliefs and the Indian religions of
Buddhism and Hinduism. Indian culture and
civilization, including its languages and arts reached mainland Southeast Asia
around the 1st century AD. It is generally believed that seafaring merchants
brought Indian customs and culture to ports along the Gulf of Thailand and
the Pacific en route to trade with China. The Kingdom of Funan was most
probably the first Khmer state to benefit from this influx of Indian ideas.

Architecture and Housing

The Angkorian architects and sculptors
created temples that mapped the
cosmic world in stone. Khmer
decorations drew inspiration from
religion, and mythical creatures from
Hinduism and Buddhism were carved on
walls. Temples were built in accordance
to the rule of ancient Khmer architecture that dictated that a basic temple
layout include a central shrine, a courtyard, an enclosing wall, and a moat.
Khmer motifs use many creatures from Buddhist and Hindu mythology, like
the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh, use motifs such as the garuda, a mythical
bird in Hinduism.

Social Organization
Khmer culture is very hierarchical. The
greater a person's age, the greater the level
of respect that must be granted to them.
Cambodians are addressed with a hierarchical
title corresponding to their seniority before
the name. When a married couple becomes
too old to support themselves, they may
invite the youngest child's family to move in and to take over running the
household. At this stage in their lives, they enjoy a position of high status.
Ways of Life
Birth and death rituals

The birth of a child is a happy event for the

family. According to traditional beliefs, however,
confinement and childbirth expose the family,
and especially the mother and the child to harm
from the spirit world. A woman who dies in
childbirth—crosses the river (chhlong tonle) in
Khmer is believed to become an evil spirit. In
traditional Khmer society, a pregnant woman
respects a number of food taboos and avoids
certain situations. These traditions remain in
practice in rural Cambodia, but they have
become weakened in urban areas.

Childhood and Adolescence

A Cambodian child may be nursed until two to four
years of age. Up to the age of three or four, the
child is given considerable physical affection and
freedom. Children around five years of age also
may be expected to help look after younger
siblings. Children's games emphasize socialization
or skill rather than winning and losing.

Courtship, Marriage, and Divorce

In Cambodia, premarital sex is deplored. The
choice of a spouse is a complex one for the
young male, and it may involve not only his
parents and his friends, as well as those of
the young woman, but also a matchmaker and a
Haora. In theory, a girl may veto the spouse
her parents have chosen. Courtship patterns
differ between rural and urban Khmer;
romantic love is a notion that exists to a much greater extent in larger
cities. A man usually marries between the ages of nineteen and twenty-five,
a girl between the ages of sixteen and twenty-two. After a spouse has been
selected, each family investigates the other to make sure its child is
marrying into a good family. In rural areas, there is a form of bride-service;
that is, the young man may take a vow to serve his prospective father-in-law
for a period of time.