Honoring Our Roots

“I am proud to be a member of the Khmer New Year planning committee. This is where I learned from our community how to celebrate our culture and bring our people together. I am still trying to understand what it means to be Khmer. In our Khmer community, you taught me to feed each other when we are hungry. You showed me how to dance when we are happy. And you showed me how to stand up together to keep our families together. Thank you. I wish you many blessings this new year!” - Elijah Chhum, Co-Director of New Light Program

With these warm words, Elijah kicked off this year’s Khmer New Year Celebration at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park on Saturday, April 2nd, marking the 10th anniversary of the event in Oakland. In a time when we are still dealing with the impacts of COVID and dual threats of police violence and anti-Asian hate, it felt empowering to come together, nearly 300 people strong. Coming together in unity across age, across religion, and across cultures to honor Khmer New Year and welcome the Year of the Tiger.

Khmer New Year traditionally follows seasonal rhythms in Cambodia. The celebration happens over three days after farmers have gathered the harvest. It is a time of being with loved ones to enjoy food, such as Sach Ko Ang (beef stick), Bok Lahong (papaya salad), and colorful arrangements of fruits. Singing, dancing and playing Kla Kloak are an absolute must. Many people also make sure to clean their homes and set out offerings to let go of the energy of the previous year and invite ancestors and New Angels for the new year. It is a time of laughter and joy. It is a time of forgiveness and acceptance.

In recent support groups, elders joked that the new year reminds them that they are getting old, and, while they could laugh about aging, there were also concerns about how to preserve traditions and how to help younger generations know their roots. As we have grown at CERI, expanding our services beyond our initial founding community to diverse refugee and immigrant communities, we understand that loss of language and culture is a shared struggle. 

We uplift Khmer New Year to honor who we come from at CERI – Cambodian refugees, survivors of the Khmer Rouge genocide. We uplift Khmer New Year to promote intergenerational healing. At this year’s Khmer New Year Celebration at Peralta Hacienda Historical Park, we witnessed children, youths, Transitional Aged Youth, adults and older adults come together to eat, sing, dance, laugh, play games, create art, make offerings, hold hands and hug. We couldn’t be happier to be a part of it.  

What will always remain true about Khmer New Year is exactly what Elijah pointed to in his opening remarks – it’s about unity and inclusiveness. 

From all of us at CERI to you, we wish you: Sousdey Chnam Thmey! နှစ်သစ်မှာ ပျော်ရွှင်ကြပါစေ Happy Lunar New Year! Nowruz Mobarak! Happy Diwali! Ramadan Mubarak! Happy Easter! Naya Barsha Ko Subhakamana! Happy Passover! We are from many backgrounds and we look forward to building more and more traditions as we grow.

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