Phnom Penh, Cambodia - Every year, Cambodian people celebrate the Water Festival. It takes place in October or November, at the time of the full moon, and is the most extravagant and exuberant festival in the Khmer calendar.
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Starting on the first day of the full moon, up to a million people from all walks of life and from all over the country flock to the banks of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers in Phnom Penh to watch traditional boat races on a huge scale. Due to the last year’s tragic accident, no boat races took place this year, but there were festivals with singing and dancing.
UPF-Cambodia took this occasion to invite people from provinces to join a family workshop at the UPF office building in Phnom Penh on November 9.
H.E. Sok Seng Yan, Executive Director of UPF-Cambodia, welcomed 70 participants and explained the mission of UPF and encouraged them to establish ideal families.
Mr. Hajime Saito, Advisor of UPF-Cambodia, gave the opening speech in Khmer.
After showing the UPF International video clip, Mrs. Masumi F. Schmittat, Secretary General of UPF-Cambodia, gave a presentation about the UPF Founder Father Sun Myung Moon’s deep insights and practical advice on becoming a couple of pure love.
She asked the couples, “What are a husband and a wife?” The room was silent. People might have wondered why this kind of question was given. She quoted from Father Moon’s teaching, “The partner is the one to make you perfect in love.” Couples listened with much curiosity to the advice about daily expressions of love to make couples closer.
The event's highlight was the familyhood ceremony though lottery. One family from Kompong Cham was matched with another from Takeo. Or a family from Kompong Thom with a family from Battambang province and so on. In this way they expanded the realm of family connections throughout Cambodia.
At the end, everyone enjoyed the banquet-style dinner with their matched family in the garden of the UPF office until it became dark.