On Wednesday, Sacramento State’s Cambodian Student Association hosted the second annual Khmer: Culture Show to a diverse crowd of students and faculty.

The club members introduced the audience to their culture through artifacts, a slide presentation, a fashion show and dancing.

Club President Johnny Pang began the show with a synopsis about Cambodia’s past and present.

Pang, a junior international business major, talked about the current constitutional monarchy, the Buddhism religion and the French influence on the educational system, which was brought on by French colonization of Cambodia.

Freshman Spanish major Julia Halligan said she is interested in Buddhism and wanted to learn more about this culture. She also learned about the Cambodian war between the Republic and the Communists, which occurred from 1975 to 1979 and resulted in the death of 2 million people.

Like any culture, the Cambodians have their specific customs. Halligan found out a Cambodian bride will wear elaborate clothing using gold and silk during her wedding. The bride will change her dress seven times throughout three-day wedding, which lasts from morning until night. The groom will also offer a dowry to the bride’s family in the form of bulls, cows or pigs.

Puthika Chao, a senior civil engineering major, said this year’s culture show is more extensive because there are more active members to help out. He co-founded the association three years ago and was also last year’s president.

Chao, a Cambodian, said many marriages in his culture are prearranged by family members and may involve different social classes. Arranged marriages are less common in the United States, Chao said.

“The Cambodian club did an amazing job of portraying the Cambodian culture,” said Jomer Belisario, a senior kinesiology major. “It was an enjoyable and educational experience. It was fun watching the Cambodian dancers perform their traditional dances.”

The event was cosponsored by the Multi-Cultural Center, which helped promote the show. It was a precursor to the Cambodian New Year celebration this weekend in Stockton.

Khmer means one has a Cambodian heritage, said Molly Dugan, a journalism professor and one of the group’s advisers.

For more information or to join the Cambodian Student Association, Sacramento contact them at [email protected].

Leonard Low can be reached at [email protected].