Drama

Lakhon Khol was inscribed on UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity on 28 November 2018 during the 13th session in Port Louis, Mauritius. As of 28 November 2024, it will be the 6th anniversary of Lakhon Khol's inscription on the List of Intangible Cultural Heritage. Many of you probably know that the Khmer "Lakhon Khol" has been created for many years and generations, but there are still no children in the next generation who know the exact history of the naming and creation of this performance. In fact, recently, many Cambodian children have been posting pictures and messages on social media to prove to the world that this art is Khmer and that the Khmer people are involved in protecting it. However, "Lakhon Khol" is an old dance of Cambodia. In addition to the name Lakhon Khol, some also call it a masked dance. This dance originated before the Angkor period. Not only that, it is believed to have started around the 9th century through carvings on the walls of Angkor temples. In addition, according to the book "Khmer Vision", the comment says that the word "Khol" or "Lakhon Khol" according to the order of Samdech Sangharach Chuon Nath, which was recorded in the Khmer dictionary published by the Buddhist Academy in 1967 on page 102: The Khol is a male dramatist of the story "Ream Ker". For Mr. George Sedes According to his words, which the Royal University of Fine Arts quoted in the study series “Annale de l’ URBA No 1” published in 1967 on page 157: The word Khol would be the one that Cambodians use to designate a variety of great apes. So for Mr. Serdes, Khol is the “drama of monkey dance.” Then there are many other records that previous generations helped to spread, reminding future Cambodians to know clearly. What was mentioned above is just a brief description.