TAKEO, Cambodia, Jan. 19 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian villagers benefiting from a China-aided poverty alleviation project on Sunday celebrated the upcoming Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival.
Held at Tanorn village in Bati district, roughly 60 km south of the capital Phnom Penh, the event provided an opportunity for participants to experience Spring Festival traditions, including red lanterns and couplets.
Vannary, a 31-year-old teacher at the Angkomnob Primary School in Bati district, said she was delighted to take part in the event, as it gave her a chance to enjoy Chinese New Year traditions.
"This is the first time that the celebration of the Chinese New Year is organized at Tanorn village, and I'm very happy to join it," she told Xinhua.
"Traditional Chinese New Year is very popular among Cambodian people as many people celebrate it," Vannary said.
Veng Soknea, 28-year-old teacher at the school, said Chinese New Year is widely celebrated in the Southeast Asian country because many of Cambodian people have Chinese ancestry.
"My family is of Chinese descent, so we celebrate it every year at our house as well," she told Xinhua. "Days prior to the Chinese New Year, we clean our house and decorate it with red lanterns and flowers."
Khlok Chamroeun, 62-year-old deputy chief of Tanorn village, said the village has a total area of 72 hectares and is currently home to over 130 households with more than 600 people.
He added that about 30 percent of the villagers in Tanorn village celebrate the Chinese New Year.
"People believe that celebrating the Chinese New Year can help increase their luck, promoting their business to make more money," he told Xinhua.
The event was co-organized by the Civil Society Alliance Forum (CSAF) in Cambodia, the China Foundation for Peace and Development (CFPD), and the Cambodia-China Friendship Radio.
CSAF Deputy Secretary General Chea Peou said Tanorn village has served as a bridge between the peoples of Cambodia and China.
"This Chinese New Year celebration is a testament to the profound bond of friendship between the peoples of Cambodia and China, who have always provided mutual help and support to each other in all circumstances," he said.
Once a poor, isolated and quiet village, the tiny Tanorn village has now developed into a modern village under the Cambodia-China Friendship Village for Poverty Alleviation Project, which was launched in January 2021. ■
