Cleansing Ceremony
Gaat Sah

O beautiful lovebirds,
Let us look at your faces
Perfect shapes, all aligned.
Teeth as white and bright as ivor

Before the bride and groom are officially married in the Khmer tradition, they must be properly prepared through an elaborate cleansing ceremony. The singers, representing visiting devada (deities who watch over the mortal realms), dance around the bride and groom. Their songs represent their enchantment with the beauty of the new couple, and they agree to personally cleanse and purify the bride and groom to bring them good fortune, beauty, and grace for the rest of their lives. The devada cut the hair of the couple and shave the groom, throwing away any excesses and misfortune that may have lingered. The new couple is also perfumed. At the conclusion of this ceremony, the visiting devada return to the realm of tansuor, the home of the gods and deceased ancestors.

O, look at the bride,
The gods must have helped prepare you!
The gods cut first,
Your parents afterwards
Then the achar to finish
It is all good now, and fitting, too.

According to the legend of Preah Tong and Neang Neak, they married without the naga king's knowledge. Neang Neak prayed to the devada to witness her hair being cut, after which they then carried locks of hair to her father. When he received her locks, he rejoiced in the knowledge that his daughter was being married.

 

www.khmerinstitute.org

 

 
Created by: Sophaktra Heng
Contact: sophaktraheng@gmail.com