See Khmer Traditions

Traditional Khmer Mat Weaving

Khmer are famous for their mats. Each family always have mats that are used for many purposes: sleeping on instead of a mattress, sitting on when guests come to visit, praying at the temple. When Khmer have to stay in hospital, they always take a mat to put on the hospital bed. Without the mat, the Khmer don't feel comfortable

We offer trips to a village along the Mekhong where most households are involved in mat weaving. It is their cottage industry and provides them with much needed income to supplement their rice harvest. Both adults and children are involved in the process. The grass is grown during the dry season months in much the same way as rice is grown i.e. seeds are first planted - often in their front yard and when seedlings are tall enough, they are transplanted. They grow the plants in clumps just like they grow their rice. After a few months, they are harvested, washed, flowers are trimmed and then the stork is sliced into 5 pieces. The four outer slices are dried and used for the mat and the inner, softer core of the plant is used in place of string to bind together vegetables, flowers or other goods. All sliced pieces are left to dry in the sun before the outer slices are dyed. The mat weaving then begins with 2 people involved in the mat weaving.

Looms are set up on the floor under the house. One person threads the dyed pieces whilst the other controls the pattern and the tightness of the weave. The village we visit has its own unique design and colours. You can watch the villagers transplant, cut and prepare the grass depending on the time of the year but weaving is done all year round by families who have grown enough grass to keep them busy for the entire year. The best time to see the entire process of weaving is from January to May however weaving is possible all year round and some houses may still be dyeing throughout the year

The trip can be combined with a walk through the village with various things of interest such as spirit houses, stupas and various plants pointed out by Souen. Guests can visit a school or temple as well as village homes for a bird's eye view of life in a Cambodian village. Generally this village is visited during boat trips however it is possible to also visit this village by road

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