For many Cambodians around the world, Khmer New Year is an important time to spend time with friends and family. To make this happen even in times of the coronavirus, a virtual festival will be live-streamed on Saturday for the Cambodian diaspora to enjoy traditional dances and songs from home, as pagodas and churches remain closed this year.
The online celebration, organized by U.S.-based organization International Khmer Assembly (IKARE), will see a range of Cambodian celebrities’ performances from 10 am until 10:30 pm Minnesota-time on a Facebook video stream.
Khmer New Year would have officially been celebrated Tuesday until Thursday. But in Cambodia, the government has postponed the holidays to contain the spread of the virus, and in the US, the government has urged the population to stay home and close all non-essential businesses.
