Angkor Sankranti 2023 a ‘resounding success’

 

Tim Bunna 

The three-day Angkor Sankranti festival was a resounding success and left countless smiles, says Union of Youth Federations of Cambodia (UYFC) president Hun Many.

Hun Many said on his Facebook page on Sunday that Angkor Sankranti has grown by leaps and bounds since he initiated the event 10 year ago.

“The festival has strengthened Cambodian solidarity and built strong ties of friendship.

"As a Cambodian citizen, I thank the Royal Government for its efforts in successfully managing the Covid-19 pandemic and enabling UYFC to successfully host the Angkor Sankranti event," he said.

He also thanked the relevant ministries, government agencies, institutions, medical professionals and staff as well as the support of the private sector for helping stage Angkor Sankranti (in Siem Reap province).

He added that the richness and magnificence of the Angkor Sankranti were also due to Prime Minister Hun Sen presiding over the opening ceremony and attending various programmes.

“It was your support and your spirit of volunteering that made Angkor Sankranti a resounding success.

"All of you are the cause of millions of smiles in the last three days,” he said on his Facebook on Sunday.

He added that UYFC has made great strides with Angkor Sankranti and achieved milestones, such as breaking the Guinness Book of Records.

UYFC, the organiser of Angkor Sankranti, an annual event held in tandem with the Khmer New Year, was held between April 14 and 16 with the theme "Dreams and Hopes".

Events included an exhibition of ancestral cultural heritage as well as entertainment programmes in locations such as Angkor Wat, Terrace of the Elephants, Angkor-Kyung Yu area, Royal Palace Park, Siemreap Riverside and Pub Street area.

Cultural activities held include folk games, traditional dances, performances of the lives of the Cambodian people in the art areas, and manifestations of Khmer art houses and bakery houses.


This year's Angkor Sankranti saw two Guinness Book of Records broken - the largest Madison dance and the largest display of origami hearts.

According to the Ministry of Tourism, the three days of the Khmer New Year received more than 13 million tourists, and the province that attracted the most tourists was Siem Reap. Battambang province came in second followed by Kampong Cham and Phnom Penh.

Siem Reap Provincial Administration director Ly Vannak said that this year's Angkor Sankranti event was successful due to the participation of the people.

“There were no significant problems. We had minor problems, such as strong wind and about 40 young people who volunteered for the event fainted due to the hot weather, but they were taken care of by the medical teams," he said.

Vice-President of the Institute of Culture and Fine Arts of the Royal Academy of Cambodia Thuy Chanthuon said UYFC did a good job organising Angkor Sankranti.

“They did well upholding and promoting Khmer culture, traditions and customs. They made Khmer culture more well-known on the international stage




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