Cambodia girls undergo Shading ceremony to make coming-of-age

Posted on September 24, 2010, 2:22 pm

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Cambodia girls undergo “shading” ceremony to make coming-of-age

Despite modernization, many Asian families continue to play great importance in holding traditional and religious ceremonies.
In Cambodia, for instance, girls have to undergo what is know as a “shading ceremony” to make a daughter’s coming of age.
For the Khieng family living south of Cambodia’s capital Phnom Penh, a shading ceremony is taking place.

Shading ceremony

Under Khmer traditional, it is an occasion created for girls to show that she is old enough and ready to face up to any new obstacles in life.
So for 6 days, Khieng Kimsan is expected to stay inside her room, shaded from any bright lights.
Cambodias believe this will make her healthy and beautiful.
Khieng is allowed to have contact only with female members of her family and eat vegetarian food like fruits and nuts.

“During my meals, my parents give me rice with sugar, banana or pineapple. But I prefer to take porridge or noodles. I feel quite strange staying inside all the time. So sometimes I water the banana and sugar cane plants which I grow inside my room.”

Khieng’s parents will also invite a monk to come to their house to pray.
She is not allowed to go outside, but listens to the sermons from her room.
Finally, on the 7th day, Khieng is ready to emerge from her room.
But befor that, she is told to search for an item her family has hidden.
Cambodias say her future marital life depends on what she uncovers.
For example, if Khieng finds alcohol powder, it means that she will marry a husband who is always drunk.
If she finds rice, she can safely assume she will marry a husband who is good at farming.
While holding a shading ceremony is no longer as common in many urban areas, it is still widely practiced in the Cambodian countryside.
And it is here that traditional cultural ceremonies hold strong for generations to come.