According to the MCR, approximately 93 percent of the population is Buddhist, 95 percent of whom practice Theravada Buddhism, with an estimated 4,400 monastic temples throughout the country. The remaining 7 percent of the population includes Christians, Muslims, animists, Baha'is, Jews, and Cao Dai adherents.
The constitution establishes Buddhism as the state religion and provides for government support of Buddhist education. It also prohibits discrimination based on religion.
Buddhism: Cambodia's Main Religion
Not just any form of the religion, but specifically Theravada Buddhism. The chief goal of Theravada Buddhism is personal enlightenment, and this is achieved by a strict practice of meditation and conservative ways of life. Most young Khmer boys spend part of their lives as monks.
Buddhism is the main religion in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. In Cambodia and Laos, the predominant practice is Theravada Buddhism – the more conservative Buddhism tradition that uses the Pali canon (the oldest Buddhist texts to have been discovered) in its teachings.
According to official census data, approximately 95% of Thais follow Buddhism. However, the religious life of the country is more complex than how it is portrayed by such statistics.
Most of the population in Cambodia speaks the Khmer language, the country's official language. Others include Vietnamese, Lao, Chinese, Thai, English and etc., reflecting such cross-border migration from neighboring countries and international migration from other foreign countries.
Unlike in much of the Western world where black is the color of mourning, white is Cambodia's mourning color, so everyone wears white clothing. On the 7th and 100th day after a death, another Cambodian funeral ceremony takes place to honor the deceased.
Death is grief as much to a Cambodian as to a Westerner. However, many Cambodians are Buddhists who do not view death as the end of one's life but rather as the end of a life cycle. It is a passage from one stage of the cycle to the next.
Cambodia is predominantly Buddhist with 80% of the population being Theravada Buddhist, 1% Christian and the majority of the remaining population follow Islam, atheism, or animism.
Still, Cambodia remains one of the poorest countries in Asia, and long-term economic development remains a daunting challenge, inhibited by corruption, limited human resources, high-income inequality, and poor job prospects.
If you and your friend smell the same flower one after another, both of you will share your future husband in some way. If you sing while you are cooking, you will marry a widow or widower. Cambodian men and women usually count the sound of the gecko crying in order to check out about their future husband or wife.
Cambodia is government by the Cambodian People's Party, which is a political party that was formed under a communist ideology. However, unlike every other communist country, Cambodia has a king. The monarchy was restored in 1993. Also, in theory, Cambodia allows for the existence of multiple political parties.
Violent crime, such as sexual assault and homicide, is common, sometimes against foreigners. Do not physically resist any robbery attempt. Use caution when walking or driving at night.
ALCOHOLIC DRINKS IN CAMBODIA
Palm juice man in Takeo Province Local people drink beer or strong local alcoholic drinks (similar to Mekong whiskey sold in Thailand) made from sugar cane or rice. Cambodian beer is often flat and watery.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) accounts for the greatest proportion of deaths among Cambodians and the second greatest proportion of deaths among Cambodian-Americans. 5.1%16 to 27.4%17 of Cambodian-Americans are reported to have diabetes.
Don't go around touching people's heads, even if it's just patting a child on the head. Likewise, don't point the soles of your feet at anyone and certainly not at a Buddha image. Cambodians tend to sit on the floor with their feet tucked to the side.
The red string bracelet is a Buddhist tradition, it is tied onto one's wrist to absorb all negative energy. In my culture, we wear a red string bracelet for it to absorb negative energy until it has held enough, it falls off.
Many Cambodians are Buddhists who, unlike the Western culture, view death as the end of a cycle and not the end of life. Buddhists believe that all living things evolve in a cycle of birth, illness, old age, death, and reincarnation. This cycle is also known as Samsara.
Can a foreigner own property in Cambodia? “Yes, foreigners can own property in Cambodia but there are restrictions. Foreigners can only own properties on the first floor or higher (not the ground floor), up to 70% of any one building, however this only applies to buildings with a strata title.