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ADOLESCENCE
In the earlier part of this century the villagers
observed several rituals that marked the transition from childhood to a more
mature stage These ceremonies were the following. (a ) An old custom in Cambodia
was keeping a child's head completely shaken except for a tuft of hair at the
top of the crown. At the age of about 13 a ceremony was held in which the topknot
was ritually cut off by an achaa; kinsmen and friends were
feasted and monks were invited to recite prayers. Wealthier persons even hired an
orchestra and professional entertainers to make a grand display. But this ritual
has not been practiced in the village for some 15 or 20 years. At present, only
one child in West Svay has a shaved head with a true topknot, although many
female children observe a remnant of this tradition by tying up a lock of
hair on top of the head. (b) A special ritual for girls which has not been
practiced in Svay for some 40 years was the "entrance into the shade
"(col mlop) at the appearance of the first menses
(which is said to occur anytime between the ages of 23 and 17) (There
was/is no comparable rite de passage for boys However, a number of males become
novice monks during early adolescence. The ceremony that accompanies entrance
into the monastery (see Chapter V) is meant to mark a transition seccular to
sacred status rather than from one stage of life to another.
But in another sense, entry
into monkshood could be considered as a recognition that the boy had reached a
point in life when he was sufficiently mature to accept monastic discipline and
profit from an education ) The girl was secluded in a special curtained
section of the house; allowed to see no men (not even her father and brother);
forbidden to go outdoors except in the dark of night. When the males of the village
would be asleep; and prohibited from eating fish or meat. This seclusion lasted
anywhere from several months to as long as a year, during which time the girl
passed her days by learning skills such as sewing or basketry. The "coming
out of the shade " (cEng mlop) was celebrated with
feasting of kinsmen and friends offerings to ancestors and spirits, and
various rituals performed by an achaa that are identical to
those observed at weddings, as if to signify that the girl was
now physically ready for marriage. The girl's first menstruation is now
observed with secrecy rather than celebration (also state that both the cutting
of the topknot and menstrual seclusion are becoming increasingly rare practices
in modern Cambodia ) (But there is a sort of survival of the concept of "the
shade" in the feeling among women that menstruation should be concealed
from and never mentioned in the presence of men).
Now that the rituals of cutting the topknot and menstrual
retreat are no longer observed there is no clear-cut demarcation between
childhood and adolescence. Through the early teens, villages youngsters remain
much like children in their physical development and activities. The young adolescents
have few household chores and are still free to play a good deal of the time.
They do, however, become increasingly decorous in behavior and begin to show
concern for their personal appearance. The girls in particular become very
modest about their still childlike figures and usually get their first beauty
salon permanent at the age of about 13.
At the age of about 16, however, when both sexes begin to
show definite signs of physical maturation, adolescents are recognized as being
at the threshold of adulthood, They are no longer referred to as
"children" but as kromom "unmarried female,"
and krolaa, "unmarried male," (The term comtung or,
more rarely pum cre may be used for pre-adolescents and
adolescents of approximately 10-18 years of age, but these words are actually
little heard. Spinsters of about 30-40 years of age are called kromom saukay,
while those older than 40 are termed cah kromom. similarly,
old bachelors are called cah krolaa) with the implication that they
are now eligible for marriage which will mark their passage into
true adulthood (The minimum legal age for marriage is 14 for females and
17 for males, though it is possible to obtain dispensation for a girl to marry as
early as 12 and a boy at 15 (Clarion n.d.:56). In village life, however, girls
are usually not considered marriageable until the age of about 16 and boys at
about 19. )With this end in view, both sexes now take an increasingly active
role in household and subsistence tasks. Boys learn the techniques of rice
cultivation, driving oxcarts, repairing tools, elementary carpentry, etc. Girls
transplant and harvest alongside their mothers learn how to cook various dishes,
sew, and act as real surrogate mothers for younger siblings. Adolescents of both
sexes sometimes take extra employment to earn money for both themselves and
their families. They also become active participants rather than mere onlookers
in ceremonial activity, whether as wedding attend ants or waiters and waitresses
at temple festivals. They become quite conscious, too, that they are now
responsible for their action and will express concern for earning merit, as well
as fear of incurring the retribution of "spirits" (Kmauit)
for
bad behavior. They also become noticeably more obedient and respectful toward
parents, accepting the latter's decisions without the sulking or defiance with
young children often respond to parental orders.
But despite this increasing
seriousness there is still a good deal of carefree frivolity in adolescent life.
various chores notwithstanding, there is considerable free time for young men to
sit in small groups talking and joking, and, especially in the evenings playing
music in impromptu jam sessions. Girls are similarly seen gossiping,
discussing clothes and men, singing popular songs, and sometime even
playing games with little girls. The closest friendships are formed between
individuals of the same sex and approximate age, but groups of mixes sex often
gather at someone's house to banter and joke in easy camaraderie burn of long
years of association.
The gaiety of this age period is also reflected in the
clothing of adolescents and young unmarried adults which is more varied and
stylish than that of any other age group. The adolescent girl mast have her hair
long and artificially curled, and dresser ordinarily in bright flowered sarongs and
cotton blouses (with a camisole or brassiere, for breasts are an object of
extreme modesty at this age). On special occasions, such as temple ceremonies, the village
girls are particularly striking creatures with special silk sarongs in rich hues,
brightly colored sheer blouses, western style sandals or mules, family jewelry, and
powder and lipstick as well. (Western style dresses are considered
"embarrassing " although school girls and little wear short skirts. The
males are much receptive to western dress.) The young men are also dandies in
their own manner. while shorts or plaid sarongs are usual for ordinary wear,
special occasions find the young man handsomely turned out with pomaded hair,
western or traditional silk trousers, shoes or rubber sandals, and
perhaps even sunglasses or a wristwatch if he wealthy.
This attention to
personal appearance is geared, of course, to one of the primary concerns of this
age: attraction of the opposite sex. Some of the adolescent girls occasionally
express apprehension about the work and pain of marriage and childbearing,
and laughingly assert that they intend to be spinsters who will live with a married
sibling. But even they, as do the other young unmarried people, have a constant
interest in the other sex. There are continual discussions of
who are the most attractive kromom and krolaa in
the village, excited anticipation of and meticulous primping before temple
festivals or any other events that draw crowds and are thus good hunting
grounds for potential spouses, and constant teasing about so-and-so being some
one's fiancé (e).
Despite this preoccupation with the opposite sex, there is
relatively little premarital sex in village life. Adolescents are certainly not
totally ignorant about sexual practices and oranges when, for example, children often
go naked (and little boys in particular are often teased about their penises);
one often sees dogs or cats copulating; ribald stories are related in the presence
of children or adolescents; and the most common precession used in anger, surprise,
or mere exclamation can be translated as "Have intercourse with a widow
" (coy kaduy memay ). But for all this adolescent girls at
least are often uncertain about the exact nature of intercourse and childbirth.
Young women are, moreover rather strictly chaperoned in that they are never
permitted to go out alone at night, or even out to deserted rice fields in the daytime
by themselves. They are also strongly embued with fears of possible rape or
abduction by strange men, and the fact that broth Buddhist precepts and ancestral
spirits from upon fornication Villagers say that premarital sex is common in
Phnom Penh where there are looser morals and prostitutes, but that there
would be "great shame" and "bad-smelling talk " should any of
their young people be guilty of this sin.
But in fact premarital sex does occur on occasion A young
woman in East Hamlet was four months pregnant at her marriage, and
villagers acknowledge that similar situations do happen "once in a
while." These pregnant brides do, however, bring censorious gossip
upon themselves and their families (though the fact tends to be forgiven
and largely ignored after several years of marriage). More striking and
decidedly unusual is the case of the girl in West Svay who appears to be the
mistress of an "official " from Phnom Penh. She, too is the object of
considerable disapproval, as are her parents for permitting such behavior. Another
exceptional case in West Svay that occurred sacral decades ago was that of
a young unmarried woman who was said to have had affairs with and borne the
children of two men (and may even have aborted or practiced infanticide on
another child). In general, though, cases such as the latter two are rare. While
young men sometime say wistfully or jokingly that they wish the situation were
freer, the young unmarried women are generally fearful of premarital relations;
and public opinion and the closeness of village life are strong deterrents to fornication.
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