by Charles Bontémps, Programs Manager
Jul 2024
All around the world, on January 1st, we celebrate the new year according to the calendar that so many of us know. However, culturally, there are other ways of tracking the new year cycle. Both Vietnam and Cambodia have different New Year celebrations according to different planetary alignments. Vietnam celebrates the Lunar New Year, while Cambodia celebrates the Solar New Year. In honor and recognition of these cultures at SPSC, our Seniors plan and guide cultural celebrations that represent their home countries and familial traditions—the sharing of culture is at the heart of SPSC’s values.
This year, Lunar New Year fell in February; SPSC celebrated on February 16th. Our celebration included a lovely traditional meal made by Chef Tam, the singing of anthems from Vietnam, as well as the National Anthem of the USA, the Dragon Dance (performed by our seniors), and for the first time, a presentation from a Theatre Troupe performing traditional songs, dances, poems, and a short skit about the new year.
As part of the celebration, Vietnamese people honor their elders at the start of a new year for the wisdom and lessons they have passed on. SPSC had our three eldest seniors join us for this ceremony, ages 80-92, before being the first recipients of Lucky Money ($2 bill) in red envelopes, along with two oranges, to represent good luck for the new year. All of our seniors then collected their new year lucky money and best wishes for a happy and healthy new year—Chuc Mung Nam Moi!
Vietnamese New Year Celebration—February 2024
In Cambodia, celebrations of the new year lasted from April 13 to April 16 this year—at SPSC, we celebrated Choul Chnam Thmey (Cambodian New Year) on April 15th. Following a traditional meal of Beef Lok Lak, made by Chef Anita and team, we kicked off the evening with our seniors singing two Cambodian anthems and the Star Spangled Banner. We then shared a brief explanation of Choul Chnam Thmey with our guests for the evening, sharing the information in both Khmer and English; Khmer New Year is a three-day celebration filled with ceremonial offerings to their ancestors—it’s a time for festivities with families to come together and embrace the cultural heritage. The festivities include cleansing rituals, traditional dance performances, and feasting on delicious dishes.
As a highlight to the evening, a fashion show was performed by our seniors to share the significance of wearing different colors in Cambodia. Traditionally, there are specific colors representing each day of the week which have different meanings such as bravery, equality, loyalty, justice, hope, forgiveness, and sadness.
The evening continued with traditional dances, games, and a presentation of gifts for each senior, brought directly from Cambodia by one of our Program Ambassadors during a recent visit especially for the event. Little jewelry boxes were presented as a token of celebration and good wishes for the new year.
Our senior’s evening of celebrating Cambodian New Year was full of color, music, dancing, and love!
Khmer New Year Celebration, April 2024