Khmer people celebrate Chol Chnam Thmay in 2016 (Source: VNA)Soc Trang (VNA) – Local Khmer ethnicminority people in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang are celebrating theirtraditional New Year Festival - Chol Chnam Thmay from April 14-16.
Soc Trang is a province having the largest Khmercommunity in the Mekong Delta region, with over 400,000 people, making upapproximately 31 percent of the local population.
Ly Binh Cang, head of the provincial Committeefor Ethnic Affairs, said the local authorities sent delegations to visit andpresent gifts to Khmer officers, soldiers, social welfare beneficiaries andfamilies that made grate contributions to the nation during this occasion.
Thisyear, the Steering Committee for Southwestern Region selected Soc Trang to hosta gathering on April 7 for Khmer people in the region, with the participationof 900 delegates.
Chairman of the provincial People’s CommitteeTran Van Chuyen said the locality has effectively implemented the Party andState’s policies on developing ethnic minority-inhabited areas such as providingland for house building and production, loans, breeding livestock and saplingsfor disadvantaged families.
Last year, over 8,000 households in the provinceescaped from poverty, including 3,500 Khmer families. As many as 16,000 households gainedaccess to electricity, of them 5,500 are Khmer familes.
Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most importantfestivals for Khmer people. It usually lasts three days and is celebratedmostly in pagodas. The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’saspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’smisfortunes and look forward to a promising new year.-VNA
VNA
