Haircut is more than just style when it comes to Cambodia’s culture, and the belief about hair is quite fascinating. It could be a part of our culture or customs, but the important part is our hair links to other things. Before, the tradition regarding haircut begins from the baby stage up until the adolescent stage. Let’s find out more, this could be very interesting for you.
Newborn
Three to five days or 2 weeks after a baby is born, there is a ceremony called “Midwife Haircut” (កាត់សក់ បង្កក់ឆ្មប). The ceremony is to celebrate the life of the baby and show appreciation to the parents and midwife. At the time, the family of the newborn prepared food, clothes, and money to thank the midwife for delivering the baby. We consider midwives as life savers because their hands are full of blood during the process and they still do their best. This ceremony is to thank and apologize to the midwives for the hardship in keeping the mother and baby safe.
Even if the baby doesn’t have any hair yet, the ceremony still goes on by making believe that it has hair. We considered that hair as the primary hair, or in our language that literally means “wild hair”. Wild hair refers to the hair that follows the newborn from its previous life which has to be cut off. Doing so allows the newborn to completely become the member of the family in this life. After the hair is cut, it will be put in a container made of banana leaves with some food and desserts. The container will be placed in front of the house to announce to holy spirits that there is a new member in the house.
It is also a ceremony that Cambodian people value because it is also the time to name the newborn. We believe that naming is very important and it is also the beginning of the baby’s fate and future. With proper naming in accordance with the traditional principles, the baby will grow up with a good life and fate. This ceremony is influenced by Hinduism in India, but it is not so common anymore nowadays.
Adolescent
Traditionally, both boys and girls kept their hair from the age of 3 until they were 9, 11, or 13 years old. However, girls usually attended the ceremony at the age of 9 because their growth is faster than boys. The official name of this ceremony is “Kor Chuk” (កោរជុក) but we can also call it Shaving Ceremony. Before reaching adolescence, the kids will have to have the extra length of their hair cut and shaved. From that onwards, the kids can keep their hair at any length that they please. In our culture, girls will let hair grow while boys keep their hair short.
Kor Chuk takes 2 days to finish with many important ceremonies which require a lot of expenses. This is why it is normal to gather many kids so that the parents can chip in. Though all boys and girls can join, the number has to be an odd number. If it is an even number, people will find a random kid to sit in the line without having to have his/her hair cut. Kor Chuk is a ceremony that shows another stage of life when the kids reach adolescence. This also means they are getting older now and they have more responsibilities because they are not kids anymore. The tradition is not common anymore, and only a few places that still celebrate it are Battambang and Siem Reap provinces.
Adult
In Cambodian wedding ceremonies, haircutting (ពិធីកាត់សក់បង្កក់សិរី) is one of the main events that has to be done. Originally, the bride’s hair was tied into a bun while her sideburn, facial hair, and eyebrows were trimmed. As for the groom, his hair was actually cut, and the final look is similar to the flat-top military hairstyle. The parents and the relatives used razors to cut the hair while saying blissful words to bless the couple. Now, we just pretend to cut the hair using scissors, we don’t cut the actual hair anymore. After the haircut, powder is used and perfume is sprayed to give good luck to the newlywed. Traditionally, the bride has to sit on the right but they sit on the left in many weddings these days. The ceremony was also done separately before, now the bride and groom are sitting together in the ceremony.
Haircut & Days Of The Week
Do you know that Asians have many superstitions and beliefs about haircut? Some people even choose the best day to get a haircut, and here are some of the beliefs.
- Sunday: Getting a haircut on Sunday will bring you longevity.
- Monday: Good luck will come to you when you get a haircut on Monday.
- Tuesday: The enemies will trouble you if you get your haircut on Tuesday.
- Wednesday: Conflicts and quarrels will occur.
- Thursday: A great day for the wealth god to bless you with good fortune.
- Friday: Same as Monday, good luck will come to you.
- Saturday: Things will be successful for you.
Related Post: Superstitious Beliefs Cambodian Elders Don’t Do
Sources: Yosothor RFA