Khmer people celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay in 2016 (Source: VNA)Soc Trang (VNA) – Local Khmer ethnic minority people in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang are celebrating their traditional New Year Festival - Chol Chnam Thmay from April 14-16.
Soc Trang is a province having the largest Khmer community in the Mekong Delta region, with over 400,000 people, making up approximately 31 percent of the local population.
Ly Binh Cang, head of the provincial Committee for Ethnic Affairs, said the local authorities sent delegations to visit and present gifts to Khmer officers, soldiers, social welfare beneficiaries and families that made grate contributions to the nation during this occasion.
This year, the Steering Committee for Southwestern Region selected Soc Trang to host a gathering on April 7 for Khmer people in the region, with the participation of 900 delegates.
Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Tran Van Chuyen said the locality has effectively implemented the Party and State’s policies on developing ethnic minority-inhabited areas such as providing land for house building and production, loans, breeding livestock and saplings for disadvantaged families.
Last year, over 8,000 households in the province escaped from poverty, including 3,500 Khmer families. As many as 16,000 households gained access to electricity, of them 5,500 are Khmer familes.
Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most important festivals for Khmer people. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to a promising new year.-VNA
VNA
