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Family
Customs in
Cambodia
Most
of Cambodia's population live in rural areas as farmers. In the countryside,
houses are made up of palm leaves and bamboo and are usually built on stilts to
protect them from floods that occur annually. A rural village is made up
of a group of houses that center around a Buddhist monastery (wat).
City
life for the poor, is like life in the country, except that tremendous crime and
unsanitary conditions must also be taken into effect. Social standing is
reflected by material possessions, which is apparent in wealthy and middle-class
Cambodian lifestyles.
In
the rural areas, clothing is simple and material possessions are hard to come
by. Women tend to wear cotton shirts with ankle length skirts (saving
their sampots for religious festivals). Men and women both wear a krama,
a multipurpose cotton garment. It can be used as a head covering, loincloth
(for bathing), and as a bag for carrying items. In the city, Cambodians
usually wear Western clothing.
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