Musicians playing at the Sompeah Kruu ceremony held at the offices of the Cambodian Association of America on Thursday, November 23, 2006. Candles have been placed on each instrument. The ceremony is held to thank the spirits of dance and music and honor deceased teachers.
Instruments for a Pin Peat ensemble next to the altar for the Spirit of Khmer Angkor sompeah kruu ceremony held at the offices of the Cambodian Association of America, in Long Beach, CA on Thursday, November 23, 2006. Live music at this ceremony is extremely important.
Altar for the Spirit of Khmer Angkor Sompeah Kruu Ceremony held at the offices of the Cambodian Association of America in Long Beach, on Thursday, November 23, 2006. Objects used in the dance and music, such as costumes, instruments, masks, a shadow puppet as well as photos of deceased teachers, and ceremonial objects, are placed on the altar to be thanked and blessed. Also included is food, flowers, and perfume.
Altar for the Spirit of Khmer Angkor Sompeah Kruu Ceremony held at the offices of the Cambodian Association of America in Long Beach, on Thursday, November 23, 2006. Objects used in the dance and music, such as costumes, instruments, masks, a shadow puppet as well as photos of deceased teachers, and ceremonial objects, are placed on the altar to be thanked and blessed.
In the 1980s and 1990s, the Arts of Aspara, a cultural center founded by the United Cambodian Community, Inc. in Long Beach, sought to recreate and maintain the art of weaving. In this photo, a local Cambodian woman illustrates how to use the wooden loom.
As part of a cultural revitalization project, Cambodian weavers were sponsored to teach and produce traditional textiles as part of the Arts of Aspara programming through United Cambodian Community, Inc.
