PHNOM PENH, Feb. 12 (Xinhua) -- Days ahead of the Chinese New Year, Cambodians of Chinese descent are busy decorating their houses with red paper-cuts, flowers, lanterns and Chinese couplets to welcome the New Year.
"It is not officially as our public holiday, but people claim Chinese New Year as their own ancestor celebration," Suos Yara, chairman of the Cambodian National Assembly's Commission on Foreign Affairs, International Cooperation and Media, told Xinhua in a recent interview.
Yara said the Chinese New Year is a great opportunity to promote cultural and people-to-people exchange between Cambodia and China, hoping more Chinese tourists would spend their vacations in Cambodia on the occasion.
Kin Phea, director-general of the International Relations Institute of Cambodia, said the Chinese New Year is widely celebrated in Cambodia due to the deep-rooted cultural links between the two countries.
"Many Cambodians trace their heritage to Chinese ancestors, and the festival fosters a sense of cultural identity and connection," he told Xinhua.
Phea said the celebrations include traditional customs such as family gatherings, feasting, and temple visits, promoting harmony and prosperity.
"Moreover, the event enhances social bonds, making it a vibrant occasion that brings communities together in joy and festivity," he added. "This underscores long-standing socio-cultural relations between Cambodia and China."
Chen Yenny, a sophomore majoring in Chinese literature at the Institute of Foreign Languages under the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the Chinese New Year is one of the best annual occasions to honor ancestors and enjoy family gatherings.
"Every year, my family celebrates the Chinese New Year," the 20-year-old said. "Days prior to it, we clean up our house and hang red lanterns and the Fu character in front of our house."
As half-Chinese, Yenny said the Cambodians of Chinese descent believe that celebrating the Chinese New Year will bring them good luck and good fortune in the New Year.
Ly Samnang, a history-major student at the Royal University of Phnom Penh, said the wide celebration of the Chinese New Year "truly shows that Cambodia respects cultural diversity."
Falling on Feb. 17, the 2026 Spring Festival marks the beginning of the Year of the Horse according to the Chinese zodiac.■
