Celebrating Cambodian Traditions: Ceremonial Practices

    Overview

    Celebrating Cambodian Traditions: Ceremonial Practices

    In this photo, the bride’s hair is symbolically cut in the Kat Sak (Hair cutting) wedding ceremony to represent a fresh start. Relatives and friends take turns cutting the hair of the bride and groom to cleanse the couple in preparation for their new life together and to bestow blessings of good fortune, happiness, prosperity, and longevity.

    Author: Devi Sok
    Grade: 7

    Suggested Amount of Time: 60 minutes
    Area of Study: Introduction to Cambodian History

    Compelling Question
    • How does learning about Cambodian history promote a greater understanding of Cambodian American experiences?
    Lesson Question
    • How is hair culturally related to a Cambodian person’s birth, coming of age, marriage, and bereavement for a family member’s death? 

    Lesson Objective

    Students will be able to define and describe various Cambodian traditions around hair and connect Cambodian traditional practices to current practices in the United States. 

    Lesson Background

    Hair ceremonies have a long and significant history in Cambodian culture, intertwined with the country's rich traditions and deep-rooted beliefs. These ceremonies hold cultural, religious, and social importance, reflecting the values and customs of the Khmer people. Dating back centuries, hair ceremonies in Cambodia have been observed during various life stages, from birth to death. They are seen as symbolic markers of transition, spirituality, and community bonding. For example, the Bleak Chol Mlob ceremony celebrates a child's first haircut, signifying their growth and well-being. The Sraa Chol Mlob ceremony marks the coming of age, symbolizing maturity and the start of adult responsibilities. In the realm of spirituality, the Chol Mlob Srae ceremony involves head shaving for those seeking ordination as Buddhist monks, representing renunciation and a deeper commitment to the religious path. These hair ceremonies, deeply rooted in Cambodian history and culture, showcase the interconnectedness of tradition, spirituality, and community in the lives of its people.

    Image Citation: Salazar, A., & Salazar, A. (2023d, November 17). Hair cutting ceremony, bride - Historical Society of Long Beach. Historical Society of Long Beach - Where History Lives! https://hslb.org/hair-cutting-ceremony-bride/

    Handouts
    Supplies
    • Markers
    • Large world map or globe
    • Chart paper or whiteboard
    Readings
    • Robam Nesat or Khmer Fishing Dance 
    • Refugee Review Tribunal 
    • Birth and Death Rituals 
    • Cambodian Perinatal Culture-Bound Syndromes: Providing Care to Cambodian Women with Toas 
    • Death in Cambodian Buddhist culture
    Videos
    • Shaving ceremony in Tani village 
    • Number One Barber  
    • Khmer Culture 
    • Time to Rise” feat Master Kong Nay and VannDa 
    • Postpartum Ritual 
    1. Lesson Hook/Building Background (10 minutes)
    • Prompt students with the following question: How is your hair part of your identity?
      • Sample responses: color of hair, style preferences, etc.
      • Have students share with a partner, then have a whole class discussion.
      • Introduce students to the lesson objective and background, and the topic of hair and celebrations in Cambodian culture, explaining its cultural significance.
      • Teacher to display a world map or globe and locate Cambodia.
      • Engage students in a brief discussion about different cultures and traditions around the world. Have each student identify a tradition that their family or community practices. If applicable, have students share hair-related celebrations or traditions they grew up with.
      • Have students share with a partner, then have a whole class discussion
    1. Shared Learning (20 minutes)
    • Distribute copies of the “Hair Tradition Cards” handout for each student.
      • Each card, or section, provides a brief description of each ceremony and its significance. Also, each section can be cut into individual pieces to provide students with the option to interact with the sources as manipulatives. Some cards have links to video sources where students can learn more about that ceremony.
    • In small groups or with a partner, students will be assigned a particular hair ceremony to read about.
      • During their read-aloud or individual reading, students answer the following questions about their assigned ceremony:
        • What takes place during this tradition?
        • Why is this ceremony important in Cambodian culture?
        • The responses to the questions can be annotated and highlighted directly on the cards.
    1. Cultural Production (20 minutes)
    • Students will continue onto the next part of the lesson with their small groups/partner.
      • Task: For the assigned hair ceremony, students will draw a storyboard or poster that best illustrates the process of that particular ceremony.
        • Suggested storyboard content: four boxes, name of ceremony, one to two sentences summarizing the significance of that ceremony. If students opt for a poster, make sure that the illustration is comprehensive enough to reflect the ceremony practices.
        • The storyboard can be done by hand or digitally.
    1. Gallery Walk (15 minutes)
    • Student pairs/groups will break up in half. Half of them will be presenting their poster/storyboard, and the other half will be circulating the room to learn about the other practices.
      • For students who are presenting, allow them to use note cards to practice public speaking.
      • For students who are circulating the room, encourage them to take notes on the ceremonies they are learning about.
      • Once students have seen all posters/storyboards, then students will switch roles and continue the process of observing versus presenting.
    1. Reflection (10 minutes)
    • Students can return to their partners/groups and share which ceremony they enjoyed learning about the most.
      • Then, have students try to make connections with Cambodian rituals and traditions that they practice themselves, or see practiced generally in the US
      • Teachers can also discuss with students the importance of appreciating and respecting diverse cultural practices.

    Students will be assessed on their participation, engagement and contributions during the lesson through the included rubric.

    Engagement: Consider the following method to support with lesson engagement:

    •  Provide feedback that is frequent, timely, and specific
    •  Display the goal in multiple ways 

    Representation: Consider the following method to support with multiple means of representation:

    •  Embed visual, non-linguistic supports for vocabulary clarification (pictures, videos, etc) 
    • Pre-teach vocabulary and symbols, especially in ways that promote connection to the learners’ experience and prior knowledge

    Action and Expression: Consider the following method to support in presenting their learning in multiple ways:

    • Use story webs, outlining tools, or concept mapping tools

    For additional ideas to support your students, check out the UDL Guidelines at CAST (2018) http://udlguidelines.cast.org.

    Emerging: Consider the following method to support with emerging students

    • Writing: Provide cloze sentences with a word bank
      • Apply domain­-specific vocabulary and general academic vocabulary in open sentence frames to perform functions, like describing or explaining, that target specific grammatical structures.
      • Students identify and describe authors’ language choices to increase their own repertoires for using words; new words are charted for reference and use.

    Expanding: Consider the following method to support with expanding students

    • Writing: Provide writing frames
      • When posing a question for discussion and writing, teacher offers a coordinated response frame to support the use of particular grammatical structures and vocabulary

    Bridging: Consider the following method to support with bridging students:

    • Writing: Require academic writing and the use of target academic vocabulary 
      • Apply domain­-specific vocabulary and general Academic vocabulary in open sentence frames to perform functions, like describing or explaining, that target specific grammatical structures.

    For additional guidance around scaffolding for multilingual learners, please consult the following resources:

    1. Students could research and prepare a short presentation on hair traditions from a culture different from Cambodian culture. Encourage them to explore traditions related to birth, adolescence, marriage, and death. The presentation should include photos, key practices, and the cultural significance of these traditions. 
    2. Students can create a visual collage that represents the diverse hair traditions discussed in the lesson. The collages can be displayed in the classroom for a gallery walk.

    Agopian, A., & Agopian, A. 2023b, September 21. Sithy Yi - Historical Society of Long Beach. Historical Society of Long Beach - Where History Lives! https://hslb.org/sithy-yi-22/ 

    Britt, K. (2020c, May 11). English learner toolkit of strategies. California County Superintendents. https://cacountysupts.org/english-learner-toolkit-of-strategies/

    California Department of Education & English Learner Support Division. 2012. California English Language Development standards (Electronic Edition) kindergarten through grade 12 (F. Ong & J. McLean, Eds.). California Department of Education. https://www.cde.ca.gov/sp/el/er/documents/eldstndspublication14.pdf

    California Educators Together. (n.d.). ELA / ELD framework. https://www.caeducatorstogether.org/resources/6537/ela-eld-framework

    CAST. 2018 The UDL guidelines. http://udlguidelines.cast.org

    DMKhmer. (2023, September 9). “Number One Barber” ជាងកាត់សក់ដៃឯក, Jieng Kat Sak Dai Aek by Sinn Sisamouth, Khmer Song w/English [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PtJDckNxrSQ

    EthnoMed. 2020b, April 28. Death in Cambodian Buddhist culture - EthnoMed. https://ethnomed.org/resource/death-in-cambodian-buddhist-culture/#:~:text=In%20Cambodia%2C%20when%20a%20person,The%20body%20is%20not%20embalmed

    1M-Knowledge. 2021, April 13. ពិធីកោរជុក Khmer Culture | 1M-Knowledge [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2rLP5AsMJ90 

    Khmers.pdf | United States Department of Justice. (n.d.). https://www.justice.gov/eoir/page/file/1308561/

    KS - Exploration. 2023, May 17. ពិធីកោរជុក នៅភូមិតានី ឃុំរុនតាឯក ស្រុកបន្ទាយស្រី ខេត្តសៀមរាប [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jDBDwIrqmfU

    Robam Nesat or Khmer Fishing Dance | IntoCambodia.org. (n.d.). IntoCambodia.org. https://intocambodia.org/content/robam-nesat-or-khmer-finishing-dance

    Sally’s Channel. 2021, December 25. Cambodian Styled Sauna | Postpartum ritual [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Crh-QdSbt-o

    San Diego County Office of Education. (n.d.). Providing appropriate scaffolding. https://www.sdcoe.net/educators/multilingual-education-and-global-achievement/oracy-toolkit/providing-appropriate-scaffolding#scaffolding

    Tulare County Office of Education. (n.d.). Strategies for ELD. https://commoncore.tcoe.org/Content/Public/doc/Alpha-CollectionofELDStrategies.pdf

    វណ្ណដា-VannDa Official. 2021, March 28. VannDa - Time To Rise feat. Master Kong Nay (Official Music Video) [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rvje5oblrLw

    Wikipedia contributors. 2023, November 30. Culture of Cambodia. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Culture_of_Cambodia#Birth_and_death_rituals

    Model Curriculum

    Standard(s)

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