Regarding Kun Bokator Martial Art

Kun Bokator Martial Art has been stated to be the longest-lasting martial art of the Khmer traditional martial arts. The maturity and strength of this martial art allowed the Khmer old to consider Kun Bookator as Khmer national soul and also representing the national culture.

BOKATOR means the great powerful or wonderful martial art  which is known as Kun Bokator by the ancient Khmer nationals up to now. The specification of Kun Bokator is a martial art combining techniques and a variety of tactics. This martial art is developed from the daily activities of people, movement, together with flora and fauna gestures, including birds, horses, tigers, elephants, monkeys, Keynor, crocodiles, crabs, snakes, dragons, Apsara, and Sra Nge plants. Moreover, Kun Bokator cloaked in the Khmer arts such as popular dance, popular games, classic dance, which disguises kindness, quickness, strength, flexibility, together with exact techniques. In addition, there are other martial arts such as Kla Krab, Sra Nge Penn, Kra Peu Ha... but they are not well-known as Kun Bokator.

The martial art has various patterns classified into 12 doors, namely the body is used for door 1 to 8, and weapons such as edged and non-edged weapons are used for door 9 to 12. The edged weapons contain knives, swords, spears, arrows, crossbows, and non-edged weapons such as rice wood press (Kneab Bork Srov), short sticks, long sticks, shields, lotus sticks, and scarves etc.

They usally wore uniforms like Khmer soldiers in the Khmer ancient era when fighting each other. The scarf is tied at the waist and red silk bundle rolled  into a flat which is fastened around the head. In the past, the red silk bundle is used to make ti feel energetic, but right now it is just only the celebration. The scarf indicates the level of Kun Bokator practitioners, particularly gold scarf, green scarf, red scarf, brown scarf, blue scarf, and black scarf. Each scarf is made up of 1 layer, 2 layers, 3 layers....up to 10 layers.

In the ancient times, Kun Bokator practitioners usually fought each other along the pre-arranged places in every festivals. Such a fighting is often held on the occasion of Khmer New Year, Pchum Ben, Da Lean, or other Cambdian festivals.

Kun Bokator is used in ancient times by Khmer combatants for the battle against the enemies infering their territories, in particular the sons obliged to serve the army. The martial art is practiced to defend themselves when getting into the forest, and protecting family, village, and property from robbery, pillage, and additionally protecting mean animals from threatening the village.

Up to now, Kun Bokator is practiced for health, and to keep the identification of the oldest martial art. The practice of Kun Bokator give much benefit for fitness and spirit and is particularly the struggling art used for defending themselves. The practitioners of Kun Bokator will get quick to the body, neither hands, legs, eyes, nor mind because all the movement of the martial art  mostly indicate the strength and fallibleness, which requires the body to make movement  everywhere. The practice of Kun Bokator does not strongly require the fitness but needs the patience and struggle for training and avoiding going berserk because Khmer martial art is the struggling art with flexible characteristic bu filled  with  the strength.

Sey Game

Sey Game has been a popular game for men of all ages since ancient time to present-day. It is most commonly played in open spaces in the late afternoon or in pagodas during Khmer New Year and other festivals. There are three types of Sey; Sey Mi-Loang, Sey Dork and Sey Paen.

Sey Mi-Loang:

It is  made from rattan; weave into round shape with small patterns and has a similar size to a small coconut shell.

Sey Dork:

It is also made from rattan and is very similar to Sey Mi-Loang, only that it has a bigger size with bigger patterns.

Sey Paen:

It is made from a combination of feather and leather or fish scales. The leather or fish scales are cut into round shape with holes in the center and then stack into 4 or 5 layers, subsequently put  together 4 or 5 medium size feathers into the punctured holes and fold the bottom ends to the side. Wires are used to tie the feather leather or fish scale together, preventing it from coming apart.

Benefits:

Sey is considered as a sportive game and intended to be an exercise to strengthen players' physical well being, spiritual and mental consciousness.

How to Play:

The rules of all three types of Sey are very similar. Four or five (4-5) players gather in a small or large circle (Sey Paen can be played with two players standing across each other).

While playing, players are divided into pairs. Each pair has to stand across his partner in the circle.
 To begin, the player who has Sey in his hand throws it towards his partner. The partner then either kicks or lifts it to the air back to his partner. It will either fall back to the person who kicked it or to other players; whoever it is, he will then have to kick it or lift it back up in the air.

Players stand ready, eyes focusing on Sey and preparing to kick it shall it falls at the player.
Players' goal is to kick Sey towards his partner; occasionally it falls at other players. Thus, players compete for it.

Though the rules are very similar, nonetheless players mush use different parts of body for each type accordingly:
Sey Mi-Loang: Players shall use the instep of their feet.
Sey Dork: players can use their elbow, knee, shoulder and head.
Sey Paen: players can only use the sole of their feet, ankle, heel, elbow, knee, head, and shoulder. The use of insteps and palms are prohibited.
 

Chhoung Game

Chhoung is a very popular game across the country and people commonly play this game during Khmer New Yeear. The name Chhoung signifies "Kroma" (scarf) that is tightly rolled up into a round shape with a small tail left for holding or throwing among players.

Benefits

Chhoung is an entertaining and gathering game consist of singing and dancing. It trains the mind and body to be active, eyes and hands quick and sharped.

How to Play

Before playing: Players are divided into two teams (according to gender), a male team and a female team. Each team consists of at least 10 to 20 players; stand facing each other in two lines at a distance of approximately 8 or 10 meters. Chhoung can be played in two different ways:

Chhoung Chreang Ram (Sing and Dance)

First of all, the male team throws Chhoung to the female team who stands ready to catch it. If the female side fails to catch and it falls to the ground, it is considered nullified and they start again.

If the female team catches Chhoung, they throw it back to the male team and if the male team catches it, they throw it aiming at any female member whom they like. If they miss, it is considered nullified and they start it again.

If Chhoung hits one of the female member, she must sing and dance to bring Chhoung back to the male team and it is callled "Chreang Ram Chun Chhoung" (Sing and Dance to bring Chhoung Back). The member who holds Chhoung takes the lead, followed by another member dancing and singing, "P'oun chab chhoung ban, chhoung baek chea buon, proleung pros snguon, totuol chhoung tov," and all female memebers join in the chorus "Au na keo, keo pi ar, au na keo euy, er eung eung!"

They will then hand Chhoung to the male team who then throws Chhoung back to the female side.
If the female side catches Chhoung, they will throw it towards the male team and if it hits any member, he has to dance and bring Chhoung back to the female team and sing, "Bong chab Chhoung ban, bong bey tror korng , pror leung meas bong, tor tuol Chhoung tov" and all male
members join in the chorus "Au na keo, keo pi ar, au na keo euy er er euy."
Firstly, the male team starts to sing (the lyrics can be different based on the singers' talent or regions)
"Bong bors chhoung tov, oun euy kom puos chong  doung (repeat), Kror mom chhor chroung , oun euy tor tuol chhoung bong"or "bong bors chhoung tov, chhoung baek chea buon, srey na mean kluon tor tuol chhoung bong"etc.

After singing, the male team shouts "Chhoung euy Choung" and throws Chhoung to hte female side. If any female catches Chhoung to the female side. If any female catches  Chhoung, she throws it towards the man she likes and if Chhoung hits any man, he has to move to female side. If Chhoung does not hit anyone, the male team picks Chhoung up and throws it toward the female side. If Chhoung hits anyone, the member who moved to the female side previously is freed to move back. In contract, if Chhoung does not hit anyone, the man who threw Chhoung  will have to move to the female side.

Trod Dance

 Background

• Trod is a long-standing Khmer traditional dance inherited from the indigenous people of Somrae, who lived in the territory of Sovannphum [Golden Country] ever since it had been untouched by Indian civilization. To date, there are a small number of Somrae people living in the northern Tonle Sap Lake near the former Siem Reap capital city.

• Since the early Angkor era, Trod Dance has been wide spread and popular across the country.
• Trod is performed only over Khmer New Year; however, it is also performed in rain rituals 
•  
• when the country faces droughts.                                                                                                 

 Purposes 

• In the past, the people of Somrae performed this dance for the King in Khmer New Year celebration for bliss.As time went by, Trod Dance was performed for blessing of the general people during  the New Year Festival.

• The word 'Trod' stems from Sanskrit meaning to "separate" or "cut-foo", and signifies transformation from an old year to a new year. The word "Trod" is associated with a royal celebration of "Treus Sankranta" (bringing luck and prosperity to the king) until today.

 Performance 
 

• Performers: usually Trod is composed of a small or big group of dancers depending on people's preference and the number of available dancers. Performers are divided into two groups, male and female. A man, who wraps cotton scarf decorated with leaves around his head, wears banana leaves around their waists and breech-cloth, acts as hunter. Those who wearing antlers act as deer and Tonsoang [Java banteng-cow]. The female group also includes two lead dancers who dress in Sampot Chong Kben, wearing make-up, colorful clothes and crowns on their heads with hands holding the peacock tails. The difference between the main and the secondary characters is that the secondary characters wear Robai [a kind of headband]

• Musical instruments and performance tools: It is noticed that there are different lyrics of Trod Song depending on groups of people, villages and districts.       

  
Orders of Performance
 

• Per-performance: Dancers and musicians, Trod performers, gather together before   Kroeung     Peaklika [offerings]. The main and secondary characters sit in a queue before the deity site. The Buddhist priest sites between musicians on the left-row and those holding Kangcha, Chong Krong poles and fishing rods on the right row. After the candles and incense sticks are ignited, and Sla Thor Bay Srey is prepared, the priest orders all to bow down three times before the deity site. After that, everyone sits still and join their hands together to pray. The priest chants: May I invited you, our Master, to have the food we pray for you. Grandmothers, grandfathers and parents, please forgive us if we have done something wrong and help make our wishes come true. 

• After that, the priest starts to give Pae [offerings] to the spirits, and then takes out the red strings soaked in a bowl of water to be tied on the Trod performers' wrists. The priest then puts the mask on the hunter's face and the antlers on the head of the deer performers, and then walks out of the site. All rises together, and the main character sings:
  "I would like to give salute to the Buddhist trinity; May the virture of the Buddhist trinity bring success and hapiness", All repeats "Happiness".

• After the offerings ritual finishes, Trod performers start to dance.