New Year

By Tararith Kho

Khmer, displaced from their homeland,

Forever treasure their ancestral heritage;

Sustaining traditions along the path of life

As they bear eternal respect and homage.

With deep devotion, every Cambodian

 Cherishes their native Khmer heritage,

Recalling prayers for each sacred ritual,

Night or day, linking the future and past.

Khmer celebrate as the New Year approaches,

 Earning merit through generous deeds;

Far from their native Kampuchea,

Cambodians gather in heavenly pagodas.

Built for the youth of future generations

To awaken to the history of their nation;

Having drifted a long way from their homeland,

The pagodas embody their country of Cambodia.

There a foundation of morality and language

 Forms the roots from which new shoots emerge,

Born home or away to only one Khmer nation;

Please nurture and preserve its cultural heritage.

During the traditional Khmer New Year festivities,

We find time to make offerings to the spirits;

Lowell¹ is blessed with many Buddhists pagodas

Where families gather together and celebrate.

Khmer-Americans never fail to remember

To share in the annual celebration,

As they welcome the divine New Year Angel

And bestow the custom upon younger Khmer.

With heartfelt devotion to our culture,

 We preserve the uniqueness of Khemara;

Honoring our native Khmer language

By showing tolerance toward fellow Khmer.  

Our wish is to heighten our wisdom,

And share that knowledge to help assure

Harmony in our Khmer mother country,

So that peace may flourish in Kampuchea

 

1 Lowell, MA is a U.S. city with a Cambodian population of more than 30,000. It has Buddhist pagodas with monks who perform traditional Khmer ceremonies.

- Trans. Aisha Down