THE RITUAL OF WELCOMING TEVADA CHNAM THMAY: SIGNIFYING THE CIRCULATION OF GODS AND THE BEGINNING OF THE NEW YEAR TIME CYCLE OF THE KHMER PEOPLE IN SOC TRANG PROVINCE, VIETNAM

Abstract

The ritual of welcoming Tevada Chhnam Thmay is a meaningful and indispensable event in the Khmer New Year. This ritual denotes the time of a year’s transition and welcomes the new Tevada. The research adopted the theory of symbolic anthropology proposed by Victor Turner to explain the meaning of ritual symbols and considers ritual symbols as a mechanism for maintaining traditional society. By employing the participant observation and sociological interview method conducted in Soc Trang Province, the study contributes to clarifying the appearance as well as the role and meaning of the Tevada Chhnam Thmay in the spiritual life of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam.