Cambodian New Year
New Year at Charlotte’s Cambodian Buddhist temple near UNCC, 2005. Photo by Cedric Chatterley.
We are Khmer and we need to uphold some Khmer traditions. Have some, don't forget. But since we live here happily, when we get old we will be leaving our bones here.
- Kimsour Ngar, immigrant from Cambodia
The first Cambodians who came to the Charlotte area arrived in the 1970s, fleeing the atrocities of dictator Pol Pot. One of their first priorities was to build a Buddhist temple. The temple's annual New Year celebration draws several hundred participants.
