Why do Khmers hold up two fingers for photos?
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Why do Khmers hold up two fingers for photos?
Where does this tradition come from? What does it mean? I mean, the Khmer civilization existed for thousands of years, and then, probably sometime in the 1920's and 1930's French dudes started showing up with cameras. Did the French teach them the two finger salute for photos? Do the Thais do it? Why do they do this? I must know.
We really need an "Ask the Khmer" section on this site.
We really need an "Ask the Khmer" section on this site.
And why do they stand in a line like clothespegs? Why no smiling? Why is 3 people in a photo considered bad luck?
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Either because the western peace keeping troops here taught them the sign for "peace", and it is stuck in the group consciousness, or the first white person here used to always do 'rabbit ears' behind their heads whenever he was in a photo with a Khmer, and since they cant put their hands over someones head in the same fashion, they just stick them out in front.
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Yeah, this freaked me out. A khmer pointed out that one of my treasured photos I have of me and two mates was in fact very bad luck. She told me that on of the three of us was going to die soon.Twocam wrote:And why do they stand in a line like clothespegs? Why no smiling? Why is 3 people in a photo considered bad luck?
Should I cut myself out of the picture?
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OH MY GOD!! YES I AM !!!!!!LuckyIrishman wrote:Seuss
In the pic, are you the unfortunate schmuck in the middle?
Im cutting myself out now!~!!!
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Actually, holding two fingers up behind someone’s head – to give the appearance of them having horns, is a direct reference to being cuckolded.Doctor Seuss wrote:... used to always do 'rabbit ears' behind their heads whenever he was in a photo
References to ‘wearing the horns of a cuckold’ can be found in many of Shakespeare plays as well as in The Miller’s Tale by Chaucer.
Historically the tradition in medieval English villages was for the community to gather collectively and humiliate a man whose wife gives birth to a child recognisably not his own.
This is said to have been a parade where the hapless husband is forced to wear antlers on his head as a symbol of his wife’s infidelity.
The history of the word is thought to be related to the cuckoo bird, which is known to put its eggs in another bird's nest.
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Good call. In Japan anyway...thekingshiway wrote:the gesture is also extremely popular in photographs in japan, korea and taiwan, particularly among young people. maybe the habit spread here through east-asian pop-media. fashion mags, boy-bands etc.
Hanky, great icon I'd look forward to using this one liberally when corresponding with my upper managment on all e-mails hence forth.
hanky wrote:
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