I share what I know

1. University of Cambodia
Lectured by:
Mut Somoeun, M.Ed
KHM 140: Khmer Culture

3. KHMER TRADITIONAL POPULAR GAMES
 Chol/ Bors Chhoung (ចោលឈូង/ច ោះឈូង)
 Bors Angkunh (ច ោះអងគញ់)
 Leak Kansaeng (លាក់កន្សែង)

4. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNS (ចោលឈូង/ច ោះឈូង)
Meaning of Chol Chhoung:
Chol/ Bors means throw to, while
Chhoung means a rolled piece of
scarf/ clothes (rolled-ball scarf)

5. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 A popular game of Khmer people, celebrated at
night time (full moon) or day time in Khmer New
Year Occasion
 Adult people or old people can play it, just only
between two groups of male & female
 Chol Chhoung has two types:
 Chhoung of Dancing-and-singing
 Chhoung Lours Knhom (freeing caught member)

7. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 Chhoung of Dancing-and-singing:
 two groups (male & female) of players
 first, a male group appeals “Chhoung Oey
Chhoung” then throws it to a female group
with a song
 if any member of the female group does not
catch the Chhoun, then it means “Sa’oy” (null)
 After the Chhoung falling on the ground, the
female group must throw it back to the male
group with a song

9. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 If Chhoung is caught by any group member, he /she will
throws it at anyone of the opposite group that he/ she
wants, and if Chhoung hits any, that means “win”
 Then the lose group must sing a song and dance with the
Chhoung back to the winning group
 ច ើស្រីចស្រៀងៈ អូសោ ់អឺងចអើយឈូង សថ្លៃចអើយឈូងន្ កជា៤ស្រលឹងមាររងួសហាអឺៗអឺងចអើយទទួលឈូងចៅហាអឺ......ឈូងចោ។
 ច ើស្ ុរចស្រៀងៈ ងោ ់អឺងចអើយឈូង ស ថ្លៃចអើយ ង ីស្រកងស្រលឹងមារ ងហាអឺៗអឺងចអើយទទួលឈូងចៅហាអឺ........ឈូងចៅ។

10. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 Chhoung Lours Knhom (Free Caught Member):
 two groups (male & female) of the players
 the male group starts sing the song, and at the
end of the song, they appeal “Chhoung Oey
Chhoung” then throws it to any member of the
female group
 If it is not caught by any female member, it is
called “Sa’oy” that means “null”, the female
group must throw it back with a song and appeal
“Chhoung Oey Chhoung” to the opposite group

11. CHOL/ BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 But if the Chhoung is caught by any member of each
group, it will be thrown at any member of the
opposite group
 Then if it hits anyone, then that person must be
caught/ brought to the winning group
 After that when in turn of the lose group wins, they
will brink their caught member back

12. CHOL / BORS CHHOUNG (ច ោះឈូង)
 The song of each group:
 Male group: ងច ោះហាចអើយឈូងចៅ អូសចអើយកំររ់រុងដូង ស្កមុំៗឈរស្រូង ហាអឺៗអឹងចអើយ អូសចអើយ
ទទួលឈូង ង ហាអឺ.....ឈូង ង។ ឈូងចអើយឈូង!
 Female group: អូសច ោះហាចអើយឈូងចៅ ងចអើយកំររ់រុងស្លៃ កំចលាោះៗឈរចស្រៀ ស្ា ហាអឺៗអឺ
ងចអើយ ងចអើយទទួលឈូងអូស ហាអឺ....ឈូង ង។ ឈូងចអើយឈូង!

13. WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF THIS GAME?
 To make the special event more memorial, joyful,
and interesting
 To make more good friends among adults
 Reunite/ strengthen relationship with friends
 To make eyes and body flexible, especially practice
throwing straightly at the target

14. BORS ANGKUNH (ច ោះអងគញ់)
Meaning of Bors Angkunh:
Bors means throws to, while Angkunh
refers to a raw-hard seed of a plant
looks like a joint bone on the knee

15. BORS ANGKUNH (ច ោះអងគញ់)
 This game is popular for Khmer people, especially
for adult boys and girls
 Played in the special event of Khmer New Year in
day time or night time
 Two groups of players (boys & girls)
 Two kinds of Angkunh: (ចោយដំ &ចោយច ោះ)
 Koy Dam: slightly put into the ground
 Koy Bors: Angkunh for throwing at the Koy Dam

17. BORS ANGKUNH (ច ោះអងគញ់)
 Angkunh Koy Dam has three or five and are slightly
put into the ground
 Angkunh Bors are used to toss/ hit the Angkunh Koy
Dam for pulling down from the spot
 If any player tosses/ hit the middle first, it means
“Sa’oy” or null in meaning)
 But if the group cannot pull down the Koy Dam all
at a session, that means they lose their chance
 Then the opposite party will take their turn to toss

19. BORS ANGKUNH (ច ោះអងគញ់)
 When any group of them can pull down/ out from
the spot all the 3 Koy Dam, then they will hold
double Angkunh in hand to knock/ hit on the knee
of all members of the lose party (this must make
sound: klok klok; if not, the opposite will knock)
 Sometime the winning party will ask the opposite
group to sing a song or do something they propose
 They do like this again and again

20. PURPOSES OF PLAYING BORS ANGKUNH
 To make more joyful, memorial, and interesting
 To make good friends among adults & adults and
strengthen relationship among friends
 To learn concentrating
 To make eyes good at looking and hands are good at
targeting (throwing straightly at something)

21. LEAK KANSAENG (លាក់កន្សែង)
 Meaning of Leak Kansaeng:
 Leak means “hide/ put silently”
 Kansaeng mean “scarf – refers to rolled-ball scarf”
 This refers to the activity of the player (he/ she) who
tries to hide the scarf at the back of the other who are
sitting in the ground circle

23. LEAK KANSAENG (លាក់កន្សែង)
 This game is normally played in the Khmer New
Year or any happy event at day time or night time
 No group but together as a whole, only just with
adult boys and girls
 The scarf is rolled/ folded up with a length of half
arm of the adult person
 All members twist (sit) around as a circle then put
their hands to the front, and not allow to look back

25. LEAK KANSAENG (លាក់កន្សែង)
 A person holds that rolled/ folded scarf and walks
around, then put down/ hide silently at the back of
the twisting ones
 Then he/she runs around the group to his/her spot
 And then the twister will take the Kansaeng to hit
the next twisting ones
 After that the hit one will take his/ her turn to
walk around as the previous person did

26. PURPOSES OF LEAK KANSAENG
 To make more fun, joyful, and interesting
 To make friends with other adult people
 To strengthen friendship with the others
 To learn to be flexible in seeing and hearing
 To concentrate mind to be careful and smart with
everything even while twisting

27. DISCUSSIONS
 G1:
 What do you think about the free flow of foreign cultures
to Cambodian society?
 G2:
 What do you think about the women perspectives in
Cambodian society presently?
 G3:
 What should you do to promote Khmer Culture?
 G4:
 In the stage of Globalization, how do you integrate the
clashed culture?