Cambodian culture is characterized by the influence of Hinduism and Buddhism, two religions that originated in India. These religious beliefs have played a dominant role in all aspects of Cambodian life, both material and spiritual, throughout the country's history. This influence can be seen in the magnificent architecture of landmarks such as the Angkor complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as in the design of homes and schools. Traditional dances performed during major national festivals and even lullabies sung by mothers also bear the unmistakable influence of these religions, giving Cambodian culture a distinctive religious flavor.

In addition to the cultural features imported from India and China through religious thought, Cambodian people also have their own unique culture, creating a culture that is both familiar and strange, very close but also very strange to visitors.

Music, Dance, and Theater of Cambodia

The ancient Cambodian pinpeat orchestra is primarily composed of percussion instruments and is traditionally performed during ceremonies held at temples, as well as other folk celebrations and musical performances. The orchestra typically includes instruments such as the high-pitched bamboo instrument called roneat ek, the low-voiced bamboo instrument known as roneat valley, as well as small and large gong sets called kongvong tut and kongvong thom, respectively. Additionally, the orchestra features drums such as sampho, a pair of large drums called skor thom, and a four-syllable flute called sralai, which has a double-sided aspect to it.

Ancient Cambodian dance is a reenactment of the epic Ramayana, praising the hero Vilmiki Brahma, the creator of Hinduism. This art dates back to the 4th century throughout the territory of India and South Asia with some variations in each locality. In Cambodia, this epic is adapted into music and dance, performed by royal dancers from the 18th century during festivals with the old pinpeat orchestra. In folklore, this epic is also widely disseminated through word of mouth or folk plays such as shadow puppetry (using a large background to pick up the shadows of puppets illuminated by the light behind the background).

The Khmer court dance is a variation of the Indian court dance, derived from the apsara character in Hindu legend, the dancing fairies for the gods. The traditional culture of Thailand and the island of Java (Indonesia) is also influenced by this royal music and dance. During the performance, the Apsara dancers wore light-colored bodywear and sampot skirts, elaborately decorated yellow tower-shaped hats, performing slow and delicate dance moves with the orchestra pinpeat .

In the villages of Cambodia, mask drama is also popularized quite widely, besides the traditional form of shadow puppetry. Folk dance forms such as lam vong dance are also very popular and often performed with an impromptu drum set on festivals, happy days such as weddings, happy days of life ...

Literature of Cambodia

Cambodian or Khmer literature has very ancient origins. Like most national literature of other Southeast Asian countries, Cambodian literary treasure consists of two separate parts:

• Written literature, almost exclusively in the royal court and Buddhist temples.
• Oral literature is based on indigenous folk literature. This kind of literature is deeply affected by Buddhism, the predominant religion in Cambodia, and also by the epic Ramayana and Mahabharata.

The most famous of these is the school of folk poetry, the genre of folk poetry composed of thousands of sentences long. The scenario is mostly lent from the Indian epic Ramayana.

The first written text to help reconstruct the history of the Khmer empire is the inscriptions. These writings were written on columns, stelae, on walls whose contents illuminated events happening to people of royal lineage; they are also religious edicts, covering territorial conquests and organizing the internal affairs of the Kingdom. In addition to the stone inscriptions, among the most ancient Khmer papers which are translated or commentated to the Pali Buddhist text, the Tripitaka scriptures are written in the Khmer language.

Cambodia has diverse and valuable traditional oral literature. Many legends, stories, and songs have very ancient origins, still not being copied until the 19th and 20th centuries, but only remembered and told through many generations.

In 1908, The first book written by the Khmer language in modern printing was born in Phnom Penh entitled The Advice of Old Mas; issued under the auspices of Adhémard Leclère.

The influence of the modern general education period to promote French civilization has produced many novelists written in the Khmer language in the early decades of the 20th century. These writers write in prose and describe themes of the Khmer people in the context of daily life developments in Cambodia.

Related tours for you:

• Highlights of Cambodia
• Cambodia tour of Culture, Nature & Wildlife
• Best of Vietnam Cambodia tour package 2023

Art and Architecture of Cambodia

Cambodia's architecture is well-known for creations built during the ancient Khmer period (around the late 12th and early 13th centuries). Buddhism and legendary thinking have a grand impact on the decoration art of these giant structures.

During this period, the main construction materials used were wood, bamboo, straw, and stone. However, what we can still admire today are the stone structures, such as walls and roads, as well as temples and streets designed in the shape of a nine-headed serpent, which can reach heights of 2-3 meters and provide shade over the road. The temples commonly feature spire-tops and reliefs carved into the four sides, depicting various scenes such as life after death, daily life during that period, wars with neighboring countries, and folk dancers (known as Ápsara) dancing gracefully. Additionally, the temples may also include carvings of monkeys and horses from the Indian epic Ramanaya.

Moreover, the type of engraved characters or numbers is also very common. Generally, temples have 1 real door and 3 fake doors on the other three sides to make a sense of symmetry. The Bayon temple with 200 faces of the god Avalokitesvara (a form of Bodhisattva is the representative for this form.

To signify the order and harmony of the universe, Angkor artists and architects created stone temples symbolizing the universe and decorated them with stone relief steps or statues of Hindu gods and Buddha. Religion affects the basic structure of temples, often consisting of a central shrine, a large courtyard, surrounding walls, and a moat outside the walls. This structure is a simulation of the scenery of Mount Meru in Hindu mythology. More than 60 such temples still exist in the Angkor temple complex.

In addition, the stone bridges and reservoirs built from the Angkorian period are still in use today. In Cambodia, many public buildings such as the Royal Palace are decorated in Khmer style with motifs of the god Garuda, a legend of Hinduism.

***
Travel Authentic Asia Company is your best choice for discovering the beauty of Southeast Asia. Our experienced and knowledgeable travel advisors are committed to helping you create a tailor-made tour and extraordinary experiences in this majestic region.

If you're looking for an authentic cultural experience, do not hesitate to contact Travel Authentic Asia to choose a Cambodia tour, Southeast Asia tour package or to customize your own style tour to South East Asia.