Khleng EK​​ (Khmer EK Kite Music Style)

The original name of "Khleng Ek" was "Khleng Pnorng" invented by Khmer ancestors by around 400 BC. In the old time the Khmers like flying their kites in the harvest season. Before Nokor Phnom era, the Khmer believed in "Neakta"(an animistic spirit or deity ) and this belief led to the celebrations of "Fete of Neakta" at the beginning of the rainy season in order to invoke the spirits to procure rains for farming. During the harvest season, the Khmers performed the festival of kite flying to express their gratitude to their ancestor spirits for ensuring sufficient rains for farmers and a prosperity for all in general. In the ancient time, the locals used straight hard bamboo for making kite skeletons (spars) and weaved tree-leaves for covering their kite bodies.

Special Characteristic of "Khleng Ek"

a) Khleng Ek is equipped with Ek, a kind of musical instrument which can air many melodic tones when it flies higher into the sky;
b) kite-flying is an entertainment by members of the
local community;
c) whenever the local inhabitants could find time
to fly their kites, one could read a significant message that the community is of freedom and the country enjoys peace;
d) Khleng Ek represents a mother or a leader of the
country in the Cambodian context;

All these characteristics already reflected in a code conducts written in 17th century by a famous poet, a prince whose name was Preah Reach Samphear.

A section of his poem read as follows:

The kite flies higher because of the wind,
The chief highly hon ours because of the
innovative citizens,
The fortunes are saved by a good wife,
The prosperous house is because of a faithful wife.

Credit to Cambodia National Kite Museum and to
all picture owners founded on Google.

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• Kampuchea
• Cambodia
• Khmer
• Kites
• Khleng
• EK
• Phnong
• musical
• instrument

[CitalL86]

Beautiful...such diff. style of kites. I didnt even know it was a major thing for khmers.