PHNOM PENH, Jan. 31 (Xinhua) -- Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen on Monday sent best wishes for the Chinese Lunar New Year, saying that the festival has gained popularity in the Southeast Asian nation.
The 2022 Chinese New Year, or the Spring Festival, will fall on Feb. 1 this year.
"From year to year, more and more people have celebrated the Chinese New Year," Hun Sen said in a speech during a groundbreaking ceremony for a flyover in the northern capital.
"Our people usually observe three New Year festivals a year: the International New Year, the Chinese New Year and the Cambodian New Year," he said.
According to the Cambodian leader, his wife, Bun Rany, and all of his children, as well as grandchildren, also celebrated the Spring Festival.
Hun Sen said this year's celebration is broader than that in the past two years thanks to the kingdom's well control of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In a recent message to Pung Kheav Se, president of the Federation of Khmer-Chinese in Cambodia, Hun Sen said Chinese and Cambodians of Chinese descent have always shared weal and woe with the Cambodian people since ancient times.
He said they have greatly contributed to the socio-economic development in Cambodia even during the time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"I would like to wish all brothers and sisters happiness and brighter success in your businesses and endeavors," Hun Sen said.
The Chinese New Year is not a public holiday in Cambodia, but it is widely celebrated in schools, private companies and institutions.
On Monday, folk artists from four troupes jointly performed lion dance at the Royal Palace here to usher in the Spring Festival and were welcomed by Cambodian Deputy Prime Minister and Royal Palace Minister Kong Sam Ol.
Heang Leang Hong, a researcher at the Institute of Culture and Fine Arts of the Royal Academy of Cambodia, said the Spring Festival has been gaining popularity in the country thanks to closer ties in politics, economics and culture between the two countries.
"Historic relations have brought closer contact between the peoples of Cambodia and China," he told Xinhua. "For my own observation, more than 80 percent of the Cambodian people celebrate the Chinese New Year."
He said the Spring Festival has been celebrated in Cambodia dating back to the pre-Angkor era when Chinese envoys Kang Tai and Zhu Ying traveled to Cambodia in the third century, and later envoy Zhou Daguan visited Cambodia during the Angkor period in the 13th century.
"Since I was born, I always saw my parents and neighbors celebrating the Chinese New Year," Hong said. "My family celebrates the festival every year because it's a special occasion to pray to our ancestors and to hold a family gathering."
Pov Sok, an advisor to the Cambodian Prime Minister, said the broad celebration truly reflected the country's respect for cultural diversity and freedom of religion as well as the fraternal friendship between the peoples of Cambodia and China.
"This year's festival is undoubtedly bigger and happier than that of last year because the kingdom has fully reopened after almost 90 percent of the population have been vaccinated against COVID-19," he told Xinhua. "I believe that the New Year will bring new success, new achievements and closer relationship between Cambodia and China." ■