Cambodia will request UNESCO to register her ‘Sankranta’ on the Intangible Cultural Heritage List next year, announced this morning Samdech Moha Borvor Thipadei Hun Manet, Prime Minister of the Kingdom of Cambodia

At the inauguration ceremony of a stupa of Buddha’s relics at Moniratanaram Pagoda in Pursat province, the Premier asked the Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts to prepare necessary documents to apply for the registration of “Sankranta in Cambodia” as a UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage by 2025 in order to avoid any further worries of the Cambodians.

Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet said that the people’s concern over the issue is right in the spirit of protecting the national culture.

The Prime Minister also called on his compatriots to organise ‘Sankranta’ event everywhere in the country this year to celebrate the Khmer New Year happily because ‘we have not lost our ‘Sankranta’.’

At the same time, Samdech Thipadei Hun Manet underlined that the Royal Government (RGC) is also preparing to inscribe
seven other cultural heritages on the UNESCO’s List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, and this year, the RGC is ready to request for the registration of Krama (Cambodian scarf) on the list.

The term ‘Sankranta’ stems from Sanskrit and means moving from old to new year.

This year, Cambodian people are going to celebrate their traditional New Year, one of the biggest festivals, particularly for family gathering in the country, from April 13 to 16.

Source: Agence Kampuchea Presse