Community

PHOTO ESSAY | Getting Blessed in the Rain for the 21st Annual White Center Cambodian New Year Festival

by Jenn Ngeth

On April 27, the Seattle community showed up to celebrate the 21st Annual White Center Cambodian New Year Festival.

This all-day New Year’s event, organized by the Cambodian Cultural Alliance of Washington, was packed with programming that’d please any ancestors. Through the downpour of rain, festivalgoers gathered for monk blessings, traditional dance performances, a bok lahong (green papaya salad) contest, delicious Cambodian foods, and many more activities.

Among the numerous vendors and booths, people weaved between the crowd to get themselves a platter of mouthwatering Khmer New Year essentials, like beef sticks with fried rice and pickled green mango, to enjoy while watching the traditional dances called robam. Attendees popped into booths to seek shelter from the rain and to check out the offerings, which ranged from traditional Cambodian clothing, arts, and culture to organizations that offered resources for small businesses.

Throughout the event, emcees Samphy Chen, Srey Routh, and Rotha Seng kept the crowd engaged, and featured guest speakers Aaron Garcia, the executive director of the White Center Community Development Association, and Carmen Smith, executive director of the White Center Food Bank. Khmer music filled the air between the speakers and glistening robam performances while the street buzzed with the excitement of celebrating a new year in solidarity and resilience.

Three women in ornate traditional Cambodian dresses and headdresses posing at a street festival, with onlookers in the background.
Dancers from the Cambodian Classical Dance of the Northwest pose for a picture during the White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival on April 27, 2024. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Two people smiling while holding skewers of barbecued meat under a colorful umbrella, with a graffiti wall in the background.
Volunteers of Samway Market grilling Cambodian beef sticks for attendees to enjoy at the White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival on April 27, 2024. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Crowded festival street scene under a large tent with numerous people walking and standing, some with umbrellas.
Festival attendees viewing different booths amidst the rain. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Performers in traditional Cambodian attire dance under a tent at an outdoor New Year festival, with onlookers in the background.
Dancers from the Cambodian Classical Dance of the Northwest performing Robam Kun Mien. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Men in white shirts and traditional Cambodian headscarves sitting on the ground with woven baskets, performing at a New Year festival.
Dancers from Khmer Community of Seattle King County performing Robam Nasat (“Fishing Dance”). (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Women in colorful traditional Cambodian dresses performing a dance under a tent at a New Year festival, with a crowd watching.
Dancers from Cambodian Classical Dance of the Northwest performing Robam Tep Monorom. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
A large audience seated under a tent watching a performance at a festival, with a diverse crowd and rainy weather.
The audience at the festival watching the classical dance performances called robam. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
A festive table display at a Cambodian New Year celebration, featuring traditional decorations, flowers, and fruit.
An altar set up during the White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Wide view of White Center Plaza on a rainy day with people sheltering and walking past.
Attendees take shelter from the rain during the festival. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
Two women seated at a booth for the White Center Food Bank under a tent on a wet day, with a food truck in the background.
Volunteers for the White Center Food Bank booth at the White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival on April 27, 2024. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)
A person in a mask seated at the YWCA booth, which displays literature and signs about eliminating racism and empowering women.
YWCA Greenside’s booth at the annual White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival on April 27, 2024. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)

This article is published under a Seattle Human Services Department grant, “Resilience Amidst Hate,” in response to anti-Asian American, Native Hawaiian, and Pacific Islander violence.

Jenn Ngeth is a Khmer American woman from Seattle, Washington, who grew up in South Park. She received her A.A.S. in visual communications from Highline College and is a published poet and multidisciplinary artist.

📸 Featured Image: Dancers from the Cambodian Classical Dance of the Northwest performing Robam Tep Monorom at the White Center Cambodian New Year Street Festival on April 27, 2024. (Photo: Jenn Ngeth)

Before you move on to the next story …

The South Seattle Emerald™ is brought to you by Rainmakers. Rainmakers give recurring gifts at any amount. With around 1,000 Rainmakers, the Emerald™ is truly community-driven local media. Help us keep BIPOC-led media free and accessible.

If just half of our readers signed up to give $6 a month, we wouldn’t have to fundraise for the rest of the year. Small amounts make a difference.

We cannot do this work without you. Become a Rainmaker today!