Harvesting Old and New : Group Serves American Feast With Dash of Cambodian Culture

The music and dance were Cambodian. The turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy were pure American.

But the values--ranging from family to freedom--were universal Saturday as the Cambodian Family outreach organization sponsored its annual Thanksgiving event meant to bridge the gap between two cultures.

“We’ve all had some heritage of seeking freedom and success,” said Claudia Lamb, the resource coordinator for the Cambodian Family, a social services agency for immigrants based in Santa Ana. “No matter our differences, we’re all human beings with desires and dreams.”

Close to 100 members of the Cambodian Family’s youth program attended Saturday’s event, which was put on by children for children.

The first part of the event consisted of Cambodian dances, including the coconut dance, which is typically performed at special events such as weddings.

Before a noon meal, honor students in the youth program were recognized, and told the other children the professions they wanted to pursue. The list included doctors, marine biologists and veterinarians.

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No detail was lost on the feast, which had all the traditional fixings down to stuffing and fruit pie. Much of the food was donated by businesses, churches and local politicians.

Youth coordinator Sundaram Ramu explained the reasoning behind the Cambodian dance and American-style food: “To embrace the new does not mean to forget about your own culture,” he said.

Ramu said that while many of the children may be familiar with Thanksgiving through school and television, they may not have a full understanding of the holiday because they do not celebrate it at home.

Saturday’s event at a community room in the Cambodian Family offices on Wakeham Avenue was a study in two cultures.

Children decked out in Cambodian clothing consisting of dresses, sashes and headbands walked past steaming plates of mashed potatoes and gravy.

Children tapping the two halves of a coconut together danced underneath a banner decorated with turkeys and pumpkins proclaiming, “Happy Thanksgiving.”

And teens and younger children sat at folding tables underneath streamers and cardboard turkeys hanging from the ceiling.

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Coconut dancer Diana Ros, 12, said she danced to show pride in her heritage.

It’s “to show people how we are,” she said. “To show people how the Cambodian religion is.”

Another girl in the coconut dance, Vasna Pin, 11, made the connection between the Cambodian and U.S. cultures.

“At Thanksgiving, we spend time together,” she said, “and Cambodians, we spend our time together with friends and family too.”

Cambodian Family language coordinator Mike Murtaugh said many of the children at Saturday’s event were born in the United States.

But, he told the children that the freedom sought by the Pilgrims who came to the United States was similar to the relief sought by many Cambodians who left the strife in their country.

“They were very much like you,” he said.