PHNOM PENH: Cambodia is advancing efforts to inscribe additional elements of its living traditions on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage lists, with the Khmer New Year festival “Mohasangkran Chnam Thmey” expected to be considered for official recognition by the end of this year, according to the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts.
Sum Mab, spokesman for the ministry, confirmed that documentation for both the traditional Khmer wedding ceremony and the New Year Sangkran festival has been completed and submitted in line with Unesco procedures.
“We are waiting for the evaluation. The Khmer New Year festival ‘Mohasangkran Chnam Thmey’ is likely to be officially registered by the end of the year, in December, while the traditional Khmer wedding ceremony will be held the following year,” he told The Post.
He noted that Cambodia continues to prepare other cultural elements for possible nomination, including traditional practices linked to Khmer noodle “Num Banhchok” and the Water Festival, reflecting a broader national strategy to safeguard intangible heritage.
Under the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, it generally takes at least two years for a nomination to move from submission to inscription, depending on the evaluation process and the volume of files reviewed.
“Each year, the Unesco Intergovernmental Committee examines between 40 and 60 nominations from its member states,” said Sum Mab.
Prime Minister Hun Manet has publicly addressed the issue of Sangkran registration, underscoring the government’s intention to protect and clarify Cambodia’s cultural identity.
Speaking during a religious ceremony on March 31, 2024, he said that “Sangkran in Cambodia” would be listed on the Intangible Heritage List to prevent further public concern.
“Now, so that the public no longer has to worry about whether we can use the word Sangkran or hold a Cambodian Sangkran ceremony in the future? I have instructed the culture ministry to prepare documents to register Sangkran in Cambodia next year,” Manet explained.
He added that the inclusion of Cambodian Sangkran on the Intangible Heritage List is intended to avoid confusion, particularly as similar New Year traditions are celebrated in neighbouring countries.
“The public’s concerns are justified in the spirit of protecting Cambodian culture, and the country has not neglected to take away anything that is Khmer culture without protecting it. In particular, this Sangkran has nothing to lose,” he stated.
Sangkran, known formally as Chol Chnam Thmey, marks the Khmer New Year in mid-April and is celebrated nationwide with religious ceremonies, traditional games, music and family gatherings.
In recent years, large-scale public celebrations in Phnom Penh and provincial cities have drawn hundreds of thousands of participants, reflecting renewed cultural pride among younger generations.
Cambodia has steadily expanded its presence on Unesco’s Intangible Cultural Heritage lists since ratifying the 2003 Convention in 2006.
To date, seven elements have been inscribed, including the Royal Ballet of Cambodia, Sbek Thom shadow theatre, Chapei Dang Veng, Lkhon Khol Wat Svay Andet, tug-of-war rituals and games, Kun Lbokator martial arts and, most recently, cultural practices linked to the Krama.
The push to register Sangkran and the traditional Khmer wedding ceremony signals the government’s continued efforts to formalise international recognition of living traditions while reinforcing national identity at home.
If approved, the inscription of Mohasangkran Chnam Thmey later this year would mark another milestone in Cambodia’s cultural diplomacy, strengthening its standing within the global heritage framework and addressing public calls to safeguard what many consider the heart of Khmer cultural life. - The Phnom Penh Post/ANN
