Visiting a Kathen (bonn kathen festival cambodia)

Kathen is the name of a religious ceremony which Cambodian people always celebrate every year in every pagoda for one night and a half day from October to November.

Last year my family and my relatives went to a Kathen in a pagoda in my home which is about fifteen kilometers to the south of the center of Takeo province. The Kathen was celebrated on Sunday, so it was a good time for us to go there because it was our holiday.

We rented a bus which could take all of us there. In the early morning at 5.00 on that Sunday, we gathered at my house, and got on the bus. We were putting on beautiful, traditional clothes. It took almost three hours to get to the pagoda because we all live in the city. Reaching the pagoda at 8.00 in the morning was really wonderful to visit the Kathen, it was beautiful day, the sky was blue and the sun was shining brightly. There were so many people, walking around in the pagoda. It was really a good experience to Visit a Kathen last year with our relative.

The Use Of Trees

Trees are a very important resource for our country. Both people and animals can get many kinds of food and medicine from them. Their wood can be used for many things including cooking, heating, making furniture and building houses and boats.

If we cut down trees, we may destroy our environment, because without trees our environment will not be either comfortable or attractive in either town or country. An important thing to know about trees is that they hold the earth tightly so that the soil on the surface cannot be blown away in windy or washed away by heavy rain. 

This is important, because when the surface soil is blown or washed away from an area, plants cannot grow there and that place becomes a desert. When it becomes empty and dead, people will avoid it and everyone living there will suffer and have to move away.

Of course, sometimes we must cut a tree, but we must plant another in its place. And we must do this regularly. Remember, it is easy to cut down a tree, but it isn't easy to grow one, it takes only an hour or two to cut down a lovely, big tree, but it can take more than one hundred years to grow one. Now we may feel that our country is very beautiful. But for how long? We must look after our trees carefully if we don't want our country to become a desert.

Science And Its Effects

One of the most striking features of the present century is the progress of science and its effects on almost every aspect of social life. Building on the foundations laid by the predecessors the scientists of today are carrying their investigation into ever-widening fields of knowledge.

Modern civilization depends largely on the scientist and inventor. We depend on the doctor who seeks the cause and cure of disease, the chemist who analyses our food and purifies our water.The entomologist who wages war on the insect pests, the engineer who conquers time and space, and a host of other specialists who aid in the development of agriculture and industry.

The advance of science and technology has brought the different parts of the world into closer touch with one another than ever before. We are able to reach distant lands within a very short time. We are also able to communicate with people far away by means of the telephone and the wireless.

The invention of the printing machine has made it possible for us to learn from books and newspapers about people in other lands. Indeed, man's curiosity and resourcefulness have been responsible for the steady stream of inventions that have created our civilization.

At the same time, however, there have been harmful effects. Our machine civilization is responsible for numerous accidents and industrial rivalries among nations. Everyday hundreds of people are dying from serious wounds and injuries. Further, the rapid tempo of modern lite results in wide spread nervous disorder.

Moreover, science, which has helped man to secure control over nature, has also made it possible for him to develop more deadly weapons of war. More and more countries are competing with one another in the production of war material. But in these instances the fault lies not with science, but rather with man's intention to misuse the discoveries of science. Science is admittedly the dominating intellectual force of the modern age.

Khmer New Year

People of all races usually celebrate their own New Year every day. They set the time of celebrating their New Year in accordance with their beliefs, customs and traditions. Cambodian people have also held their New Year since the ancient time. 

Cambodian people celebrate Khmer New Year for three days, usually from 13^th to 15^th of April or Khmer called “KHE CHET” which is the time when people release from their hard work.

Before the New Year, people prepare food, clean their houses, buy new clothes and so on. However, the people in the country sides make traditional cakes called NUM ONSOM and MUM PUM. In the pagodas, we build sand mountains outside the temple. The first day of Khmer New Year is called MOHASANG KRAN.

The second day is named VIRAK VANABOUTH and the third day is called VIARAK LOEUNG SAK. The people always go to the pagodas to meet each other and play traditional games. Khmer New Year is the most perfect time for Cambodian people.

Crops Along The Rivers

Farmers along the rivers work harder than other farmers in our country. They plant all kind of crops, rice, com, beans and tobacco. This work makes them very busy. Every day they must work in their fields from Sunrise until sunset.

Before the farmers plant or transplant their seeds. They must prepare the soil. First, they have to take out the small plants. Then they must plough and rake the soil until it becomes muddy.

When the crops are growing, the crops need a lot of the water. So the farmers must make enough ponds and wells. But diseases and insects also like water, so the farmers must be careful or they will increase and damage the crops. Then, when the crops are ripe, the farmers are busy again. First they cut the crops in the field. Then they collect them for their homes or the market.

Importance of Peace

People always want peace in their country because peace is that most importance thing in their lives, in fact, there are several importance for the people and the development of our country.

For one thing, the people can live happily without worries about wars, so that they can increase their standards of living to be better. Moreover, they can have more time to develop their communities by building schools, hospitals, roads. 

Furthermore, they can travel to any place of the country safety. For our country, peace is the most important thing to develop the country to be a develop one.

One more thing is that peace attracts foreign investors to come to build a lot of factories which employ a lot of Cambodia people, so unemployment is not a problem. Peace also attracts a lot of foreign tourists to visit our country, and it is an opportunity to show them our culture. As we see the importance of peace, we must join with the government to keep peace in our country.

Destruction of Wars in Cambodia

For over two past decades, there were domestic wars in our country, and they made the country become a fighting area. Whenever, there are wars, there are always destruction everywhere.

In fact, wars destroyed everything in the country, School buildings, hospitals, people's homes, and other constructions were destroyed by dropping bombs and using powerful explosive weapons.

Furthermore, many roads and bridges were broken down during the fighting of army with army. Moreover, people pet animals and wild animals were killed in the wars. Another thing is that a lot of forests were cut down by the army in the forests to sell to foreign countries to get money to buy weapons to serve in fighting. 

What is the more, fighting place become mine fields which are dangerous for the people? The worst of all is that wars killed a lot of people and some survived people become cripples who are living with difficulty now. As we seen the destructions of wars, we must not let wars appear in our country.

The Role of Women in Modem Societies in Cambodia

Long time ago, woman lived bitterly with bad conditions for their lives. They did not have equal right as men did. However, Cambodian woman in the modern time have changed their faces because they play the important roles not only in the families but also in the societies.

According to my observation, most women have become family breadwinners and leaders because they equal rights to accept high education and have jobs to earn for their living. Moreover, some Cambodian women play the important roles in the societies. Some of them have become commune chiefs and the commune councils, so they can work to help other women have become members of parliament and leaders of some ministries. Furthermore, some women have become managers of private companies and non-organizations.

All in all, women play the important roles not only in the government but also private institutions, so women themselves have to study hard to have enough abilities to work.

Solution of Water Pollution in Cambodia

Clearly, the problems associated with water pollution have the capabilities to disrupt life on our planet to a great extent. Congress has passed laws to try to combat water pollution thus acknowledging the tact that water pollution is, indeed, a serious issue. But the government alone cannot solve the entire problem. It is ultimately up to us, to be informed, responsible and involved when it comes to the problems we face with our water. 

We must become familiar with our local water resources and learn about ways for disposing harmful household wastes so they don’t end up in sewage treatment plants that can't handle them or landfills not designed to receive hazardous materials. We have to preserve existing trees and plant new.

Trees and shrubs to help prevent soil erosion and promote infiltration of water into the soil. Around our houses, we must keep litter, pet waste leaves and grass clippings out of gutters and storm drains. These are just a few of the many ways in which we as humans have ability to combat water pollution.

Cause of Water Pollution in Cambodia

Pollution is also caused when silt and other suspended, solids such as soil, wash off plowed fields, construction and logging sites, urban areas, and eroded river banks when it rains. Pollution in the form of organic material enters waterways in many different forms as sewage, as leaves and grass clippings, or as runoff from livestock feedlots and pastures.

Many types of fish and bottom-dwelling animals cannot survive when levels of dissolved oxygen drop below two to five parts per million. When this occurs, it kills aquatic organisms in large numbers which leads to disruptions in the food chain.

Like photochemical pollutions, sulfur oxides contribute to the incidence of respiratory diseases. Acid rain, a form of precipitation that contains high levels of sulfuric or nitrite acids, can contaminate drinking water and vegetation, damage aquatic life, and erode buildings. When a weather condition known as a temperature inversion prevents dispersal of smog, inhabitants of area, especially children and the elderly and chronically ill, is warned to stay indoors and avoid physical stress.

Meals in Cambodia

Each country always has their own culture. Eating meals is also a part of culture. Now you are going to know how and what Cambodian people eat.

For breakfast is just a small for meal Cambodian people. Most people eat rice with fried salty fish. A traditional Cambodian lunch is also a small meal. Most people just a little meat with their rice. Some rice people have larger meals in restaurants, but enjoy their breakfast at home. For many people lunch is a quick meal. In the cities, there are a lot of food stalls where food is cheap, and you choose what you like: pork, chicken, and salty fish with vegetables. You can also have bread or something sweet or a drink. The evening meal is main meal of the day for most Cambodians. We usually have it quite early between 5.30 and 8.00 and often the whole family eat together some families enjoy special food on Sunday with their relatives or friends.

All in all, Cambodian also likes food from other country. They also like having picnics with their family.