Cambodian Festival
Cambodians love a good celebration and festivals provide
the opportunity for family members scattered across the country to reconnect
and reassert their sense of together-ness. Many of Cambodia’s festivals, such
as Bon Chol Vassa and Meak Bochea, are based on lunar cycles. Thus, dates for
these festivals change from year to year. While most secular holidays follow
the Gregorian calendar, a few, such as Bon Om Tuk, or the Water
Festival, date back to the days of Angkor. Apart from being solemn religious occasions, these festivals
present rural Khmers with an excuse to return home to visit family. Celebrations are often
followed by partying, funfairs, and fireworks.
Cambodia has three seasons – hot, rainy, and cool – which
influence several festivals, especially in rural areas since agriculture is the
main livelihood for a majority of the population.
HOT SEASON
Temperatures ratchet up in February, which is the start
of the hot season, and keep rising till April, which is the hottest month.
April also marks the end of the harvest.
The sweltering heat and high humidity can test visitors’
endurance. However, areas such as Ratanakiri and Mondulkiri provinces in the
northeast, which have the advantage of higher elevations, enjoy cooler weather.
JANUARY–FEBRUARY
Victory Day (Jan 7), Nationwide. This holiday
commemorates the victory of the Vietnamese over the Khmer Rouge’s bloody
regime. Celebrations are marked by exhibitions and remembrance services.
Chinese New Year (end Jan/early Feb), Phnom Penh. This
exciting, vibrant festival sees the cities
Streets thronging with colourful dragon dancers and
processions, along with firework displays at every corner. Although this is not a national holiday, it is a
widely celebrated festival and many Chinese commercial businesses shut down for
its duration. There is a large population of Chinese in Phnom Penh, along with
a significant number of Vietnamese who also celebrate Tet (New Year) at the
same time. Wealthy families eager to flaunt their
fortunes organize elaborate private firework displays. Meak Bochea (end
Jan/early Feb full moon), nationwide.
The name of this festival means Big Prayer and it is one
of the holiest and most important ceremonies in the Buddhist religion.
Candlelit processions commemorate the 1,250 disciples who
gathered to witness the last sermon delivered by the Buddha before his death in
northern India 2,500 years ago. Families
visit their local wat (temple) during the full moon to venerate the five
precepts MARCH–APRIL Women’s Day (Mar8), nationwide. Celebrating the role of
women in modern society and highlighting issues such as rape, domestic
violence, and inequality, this is a vital festival in a country where women are
often
abused and subjugated. UNESCO Phnom Penh has supported
this important day over the past few years by sponsoring the Ministry of
Women’s Affairs of Cambodia. Parades are held in various
parts of the country and T-shirts highlighting women’s
rights and messages against of Buddhism and the great teacher himself, lighting
candles and making offerings of food and money in order to gain domestic violence are distributed. Drama shows
and workshops are organized, which are often attended by the prime minister.
Cambodian New Year (April 14–16), nationwide. This
festival is better known as Chaul Chnam Thmey and lasts for a period of three
days. Khmers see it as a time to go wild in a nationwide water fight as well as
applying talcum powder to each other’s faces. The festival has its roots
in Hinduism, the country’s primary religion before the
arrival of Buddhism. The best place to be is Wat Phnom (see pp50–51), where
free concerts are held at night. The last day of the festival involves
worshipers bathing Buddha statues with water and apologizing to monks, elders,
and grandparents whom they may have offended during the year. This ritual is
known as pithi srang. It is also celebrated in a similar fashion in Laos.
Visitors are likely to have water thrown at them during this period.
RAINY SEASON
This season is characterized by short, intense bursts of
rain, which leave the land glistening and remote roads impassable. This is a
good time to explore temples as there are relatively fewer
people around.
MAY–JUNE
Visak Bochea (May full moon), nationwide. The Buddha’s
birthday, his enlight enment, and admission to Nirvana are celebrated with
candlelit processions to the local wat, most notably
at Angkor Wat .
International Labor Day
(May 1), nationwide. Traditionally a day when workers
march for their rights, such as the improvement of minimum wages. Their
achievements are also celebrated.
Genocide Day (May 9), nationwide. This day commemorates
the many lives lost to the Maoist-driven
Khmer Rouge. It is a pensive occasion for every Khmer.
Without exception, every family was torn asunder by the bloody regime of the
Khmer Rouge.
King Sihamoni’s Birthday (May 13), nationwide. Although
there are no mass celebrations or processions on this day, firework displays
take place at the Tonlé Sap lakefront late at night.
Royal Ploughing Ceremony (late May), Phnom Penh.
Also known as Bon Chrat Preah Nongkol, this festival
celebrates the first planting of rice for the coming harvest.
Locals dress up in colorful traditional attire and
participate in a lively pro cession.
The procession is led by the king and other royals
outside the National Museum, where a sacred ox is fed with a selection of food
and drink. A Brahmin priest then predicts the kind of harvest that can be
expected, according to what the ox has eaten. This is a significant festival
for many Cambodians
as their fortunes are linked to the land that they farm.
The presence of the king also reaffirms the importance of this ceremony.
COOL SEASON
As the rains retreat toward the end of October and early
November, a cool breeze sweeps over the land. The Tonlé Sap, having been
reju-venated, abounds with fish.
The best time to visit the country is between November
and January, when humidity levels are lower than usual.
JULY–AUGUST
Bon Chol Vassa (Jul full moon), nationwide. Held to
coincide with the eighth full moon of the lunar calendar, this festival marks
the beginning of the three-month Buddhist Lent, a time of fasting and strict
meditation. This is also the time for young men to be ordained as monks.
Traditionally, the
newly ordained monks would spend the entire rainy season
with in the temple, but nowadays this
period can be as little as three weeks.
SEPTEMBER–OCTOBER
Bon Dak Ben (Sep–Oct full moon), nationwide.
Dedicated to the spirits of the dead, this is one of the
most traditional of Khmer festivals.
Influenced by elements of animism, the festival is
celebrated over a period of 15 days, beginning on the full moon. Food and drink
are offered to monks so that they may assist people in blessing
the souls of their ancestors. People throng to temples to
listen to sermons and make offerings
of respect to their ancestors. They believe it is vital to
keep the spirits of the dead appeased; these spirits are believed to protect
the living.
Bon Pchum Ben (Sep/Oct), nationwide. This festival of the
dead is equivalent to All Souls’ Day. Khmers make offerings of boiled eggs,
paper money, food, and drink to the dead in order to avoid being haunted. Bon
Kathen (variable), nationwide. Starting at the end of the Buddhist Lent and
continuing for a month until the next full moon, this festival marks the
emergence of monks
from their retreat with offertory robes and slow public
processions to the local wat. Donations
are given in order to receive merit, thereby improving
karma (fate) for the next life.
King Sihanouk’s Birthday (Oct 31), nationwide. This day
celebrates the country’s influential and mercurial leader, the former king,
Sihanouk, who managed to endure both Colonialism – eventually achieving
Cambodian independence – as well as the Khmer Rouge.
It is believed that under-standing his psyche is the key
to comprehending the complex soul of Cambodia and the compromises it has had to
make in order to survive. Processions take place in front of the Royal Palace
and many loyal followers of the former king return to Phnom Penh
to celebrate.
NOVEMBER–DECEMBER
Independence Day (Nov 9), nationwide. Cambodia’s
independence from France is marked by processions of elaborate floats in front
of the Royal Palace. A special day for all Khmers, fireworks
and parades are arranged across the country and bunting
strung across narrow streets. The main festivities, however, take place at the
famous Independence Monument at the junction of Norodom and Sihanouk boulevards
in Phnom Penh.
Bon Om Tuk (Nov), nationwide. This three-day event, also
known as the Water Festival, celebrates the victory of Angkor over the Chams in
the 12th century. It also observes the
natural
phenomenon of the Tonlé Sap reversing its flow and
emptying back into the Mekong River, thus marking the end of the rainy season.
(It is the only waterway in the world to reverse its flow
at different times of the year.) Along with the Cambodian
New Year, it is the most important festival in the Cambodian calendar.
Boat races and a carnival atmosphere on the Tonlé Sap
attract millions from across the country. More than 400 boats take part in the
boat race of Bon Om Tuk, with oarsmen and their vessels
coming from far and wide and bringing with them thousands
of supporters from their villages. A smaller festival also takes place around
Angkor Wat, but the real heart of the celebration lies in
Phnom Penh, on the Mekong.
Legends of Angkor Wat Festival (variable), Angkor Wat.
This festival of performing arts is held at Angkor Wat. Epic stories of Khmer
myth are enacted, accompanied by traditional dances, costumes, and musicians,
with the temple providing a stunning backdrop. The royal family often attends
the
event, which makes for a truly memorable evening.
PUBLIC HOLIDAYS
New Year’s Day (Jan 1)
Victory Day (Jan 7)
Meak Bochea (Jan/Feb)
Women’s Day (Mar 8)
Cambodian New Year
(Apr 14–16)
Visak Bochea (May)
International Labor
Day (May 1)
Royal Ploughing
Ceremony (May)
King Sihamoni’s Birthday
(May 13)
Queen Mother’s Birthday
(Jun 18)
Constitution Day
(Sep 24)
Bon Pchum Ben
(Sep/Oct)
Coronation Day (Oct 29)
King Sihanouk’s Birthday
(Oct 31)
Independence Day
(Nov 9)
Bon Om Tuk (Nov)
Human Rights Day
(Dec 10)
