Culture | cambodia

History

The Golden age of Cambodia was between the 9th and 14th century, during the Angkor period, during which it was a powerful and prosperous empire that flourished and dominated almost all of inland Southeast Asia. However, Angkor would eventually collapse after much in-fighting between royalty and constant warring with its increasingly powerful neighbors, notably Siam and Dai Viet. Many temples from this period however, like Bayon and Angkor Wat still remain today, scattered throughout Thailand,Cambodia,Laos, and Vietnam as a reminder of the grandeur of Khmer arts and culture. Cambodia's unparalleled achievements in art, architectures, music, and dance during this period have had a great influence on many neighboring kingdoms, namely Thailand and Laos. The effect of Angkorian culture can still be seen today in those countries, as they share many close characteristics with current-day Cambodia.

Religion

Cambodia is predominantly Buddhist with 90% of the population being Theravada Buddhist, 1% Christian and the majority of the remaining population follow Islam, atheism, or animism. Buddhism has existed in Cambodia since at least the 5th century CE. Theravada Buddhism has been the Cambodian state religion since the 13th century CE (excepting the Khmer Rouge period), and is currently estimated to be the faith of 90% of the population.

Etiquette and Customs

In Khmer culture a person's head is believed to contain the person's soul—therefore making it taboo to touch or point one's feet at it. It is also considered to be extremely disrespectful to use the feet to point out a person, or to sit or sleep with the soles of the feet pointing at a person, as the feet are the lowest part of the body and are considered to be impure.

When greeting people or to show respect in Cambodia people do the "sampeah" gesture, identical to the Indian namaste and Thai wai.

Customary Cambodian teachings are laid out in verse form in long works from the 14th to 18th centuries collectively called Chhbap ("rules" or "codes"). These were traditionally learned by rote. Works such as the Chhbap Pros ("Boy's Code"), Chhbap Srey ("Girl's Code") and Chhbap Peak Chas ("Code of Ancient Words") gave such advice as: a person that does not wake up before sunrise is lazy; a child must tell parents or elders where they go and what time they will return home; always close doors gently, otherwise a bad temper will be assumed; sit in a chair with the legs straight down and not crossed (crossing the legs is a mark of an impolite person); and always let the other person do more talking.

In Cambodia it is not polite to make eye contact with someone who is older or someone who is considered a superior.

Meeting & Greeting

Greetings between Cambodians are dependent on the relationship/hierarchy/age between the people.
The traditional greeting is a bow combined with a bringing of the hands together at chest level (similar to bringing hands together for prayer).
If one intends to show greater respect the bow is lower and the hands brought higher.
With foreigners Cambodians have adopted the western practice of shaking hands. Women may still use the traditional Cambodian greeting.
The simple rule is to respond with the greeting you are given.
In Cambodia people are addressed with the honorific title "Lok" for a man and "Lok Srey" for a woman followed with the first name or both the first and surname.

Gift Giving Etiquette

Gifts are usually given at Cambodian New Year (Chaul Chnam).
Birthdays are not big events like in the West and people of the older generation may not even know their date of birth.
Unlike most other cultures, Cambodians do not celebrate birthdays. In fact, many older people may not know the exact date of their birth.
A small gift can also be taken if invited to someone's home for food.
If invited to a home, take nicely presented fruit, sweets, pastries or flowers.
Avoid giving knives.
Gifts are usually wrapped in colorful paper.
Do not use white wrapping paper, as it is the color of mourning.
When giving gifts use both hands.
Gifts are not opened when received.

Dining Etiquette

Table manners are fairly formal.
If unconfident with the dos and don'ts simply follow what others do.
When invited to the dining table wait to be told where to sit as you would not want to upset any hierarchical arrangements.
The oldest person is usually seated first.
Similarly the eldest person should start eating before others.
Do not begin eating until the eldest person starts.
Never discuss business in such social settings.

Business Etiquette and Protocol

Meeting and Greeting

As Cambodia is a hierarchical culture the business world follows suit in terms of protocol and behaviours.
Respect and deference must always be shown to the most senior person.
When meeting a group you will be introduced to the highest ranking person, similarly you should have the most senior of your group greet them.
If groups are involved you should introduce people according to rank so that your Cambodian counterparts understand the dynamics of the group.
Handshakes are normal although be careful not to be too firm as this may be construed as aggressive.
If men are dealing with women they should wait and see if they extend a hand before doing so. Eye contact should be kept to a minimum.
Cambodians address people with the honorific title "Lok" for a man and "Lok Srey" for a woman with the first name alone or both the first and surname.

Business Cards

Business cards should be exchanged after the initial introductions.
Have one side of your card translated into Khmer if possible.
Present your card so the Khmer side is readable to the recipient.
Use the right hand or both hands when offering or receiving a business card.
It is important to treat business cards with respect as the way you handle the card is indicative of the way you will treat the person.

Business Meetings

Meetings do not stick to any schedule or agenda.
Issues may be tackled separately and altogether if need be - once an issue has seemingly been resolved it may later be addressed again.
Meetings will continue until the attendees feel everything has been satisfactorily covered.
Building a relationship on mutual trust is crucial so initially time should be invested in getting to know your counterparts.
Small talk should always be employed at the beginning of meetings.
Cambodians are very indirect communicators so some reading between the lines is a necessary skill.
They will always consider the implications of making statements or using particular words especially if it involves anything negative as this draws in the issue of face.
In fact if Cambodians disagree with someone they would rather remain silent than make any comment.
If they disagree with an idea, they generally remain silent.
If unsure about statements be sure to double check.
Cambodians prefer ideas to be brought forward in a gentle way and to wait for others to respond.
Pushy, pressured or boastful communication styles are a real turn-off.
Punctuality is important. Arriving late shows a lack of respect for the person with whom you are meeting.
Non-verbal behaviour is just as important to be aware of.
For example, smiling in Cambodia is situational and can have many meanings; it may mean a person does not understand what has been said, they are nervous or even irritated.
Showing emotions is considered a negative behaviour. Anger, impatience or frustration should be hidden as it would lead to a loss of face.
overtly is not part of the culture and is considered a sign of weakness as well as poor manners.
Modesty and humility are emphasized in the culture, so compliments and praise are generally responded to by a deprecating comment.
It is a good idea not to speak with bravado, which may be interpreted as boasting.
Avoid prolonged eye contact.
Be sure to speak clearly, slowly and to avoid use of slang, adages and colloquial sayings.

Cuisine

hmer cuisine is similar to that of its Southeast Asian neighbors. It shares many similarities with Thai cuisine, Vietnamese cuisine and Teochew cuisine. Cambodian cuisine also uses fish sauce in soups, stir-fried cuisine, and as dippings. The Chinese influence can be noted in the common chha (Khmer: ឆារ, Stir frying) and in the use of many variations of rice noodles. A particular popular dish of ultimately Chinese origin is "pork broth rice noodle soup", similar to phở, called kuy tieu (Khmer: គុយទាវ). Indian influenced dishes include many types of curry known as kari (Khmer: ការី) that call for dried spices such as star anise, cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and fennel as well as local ingredients like lemongrass, garlic, kaffir lime leaves, shallots and galangal that give dishes a distinctive Cambodian flavor.[8] Banh Chaew (Khmer: នំបាញ់ឆែវ), the Khmer version of the Vietnamese Bánh xèo, is also a popular dish.

Khmer cuisine is noted for the use of prahok (ប្រហុក), a type of fermented fish paste, in many dishes as a distinctive flavoring. When prahok is not used, it is likely to be kapǐ (កាពិ) instead, a kind of fermented shrimp paste. Coconut milk is the main ingredient of many Khmer curries and desserts. Cambodians prefer either jasmine rice or sticky (glutinous) rice. The latter is used more in dessert dishes with fruits such as durian while jasmine rice is eaten with meals. Almost every meal is eaten with a bowl of rice. Typically, Cambodians eat their meals with at least three or four separate dishes. Each individual dish will usually be one of either sweet, sour, salty or bitter. Chili is usually left up to the individual to add themselves. In this way Cambodians ensure that they get a bit of every flavor to satisfy their palates.

Regional Cambodian cuisine offers some unique dishes influenced by the traditions of local ethnic groups. In Kampot and Kep, known for its Kampot Pepper Crab or Kdam Chha Mrich Kchei (Khmer: ក្តាមឆាម្រេចខ្ជី) in Khmer. This dish is prepared with a local crab fried with the black pepper from area pepper fields. Kula people, an ethnic group of Pailin Province, originated Mee Kola (Khmer: មីកុឡា), a vegetarian rice stick noodle dish. In southeastern Cambodia, the influence of Vietnamese cuisine are strong, evidenced by Bánh tráng which is ubiquitous in southeastern Cambodia but virtually unknown elsewhere. The region between Siem Reap and Kampong Thom, an area with many Chinese Cambodians, displays Khmer versions of many Chinese dishes.

Gender Roles and Statuses

Division of Labor by Gender. In most spheres, there is some flexibility in gender roles. Most tasks performed by men occasionally are performed by women, and vice versa. Traditionally among villagers, men fished, plowed, threshed rice, made and repaired tools, and cared for cattle. Women transplanted seedlings; did washing, mending, and housecleaning; performed most of the child care; and did the everyday shopping. Women are traditionally responsible for a family's money and engage in small-scale marketing.

In the DK period, communal work further broke down gender barriers, and in the post-DK period, when conscription created a shortage of men in civilian life, women were forced to do more hard physical labor. This gender imbalance meant that a small number of women played important roles in civil service and politics. The numbers of women in civil service and politics decreased somewhat in the 1990s, but new foreign-owned textile factories employ almost exclusively women laborers. Only men can enter the monkhood. While women assume ascetic lifestyles and take up residence in temples, they are considered part of the lay population.

The Relative Status of Women and Men. Bilateral kinship and a strong tendency toward matrilocality leave women in a position of relative strength. The fact that women control family finances may not be regarded as a sign of superiority but represents real power in practical terms. However, women have much less access than men to the highest positions of political and economic power.

Traditional codes of behavior for women are more elaborate and strict than those for men. Their role is often marked symbolically as inferior. While traditional art and contemporary media images of women show them as active agents, they often are depicted as physically vulnerable to men. Domestic violence against women at the village level is widespread, and those women have little legal recourse.