Kromar

We had some Danish visitors today.  A couple of our office staff explained the kromar to them.

The kromar is a rectangular-shaped piece of cloth.  It is especially useful to Cambodian villagers, but can be used by anyone.  That piece of cloth serves as:

• a head-band, especially for male farmers;
• a hat, especially for female farmers;
• a scarf, when it becomes cold;
• a towel;
• a sarong for clothing;
• a shawl;
• a blanket;
• padding if wanting to carry things on the head (like how Indians sometimes carry things),
• a way to carry a baby (wrap the kromar as a sling);
• as covering when one needs to hide toilet behind a coconut tree (a Dane offered this suggestion).

Some Cambodian children are exploited for the purpose of making these kromar, but NGOs who look after the children would not do this to them.