Water Festival Ceremony in Cambodia in 2024

Water Festival Ceremony in Cambodia in 2024
  How long until Water Festival Ceremony?
Water Festival Ceremony
  Dates of Water Festival Ceremony in Cambodia
2025 Nov 4, Nov 5, Nov 6
CambodiaThu, Nov 6National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaWed, Nov 5National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaTue, Nov 4National Holiday
2024 Nov 14, Nov 15, Nov 16
CambodiaSat, Nov 16National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaFri, Nov 15National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaThu, Nov 14National Holiday
2023 Nov 26, Nov 27, Nov 28
CambodiaTue, Nov 28National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaMon, Nov 27National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaSun, Nov 26National Holiday
2022 Nov 7, Nov 8, Nov 9
CambodiaWed, Nov 9National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaTue, Nov 8National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaMon, Nov 7National Holiday
2021 Nov 18, Nov 19, Nov 20
CambodiaSat, Nov 20National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaFri, Nov 19National Holiday (additional day)
CambodiaThu, Nov 18National Holiday
  Summary

Bonn Om Touk. Full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk

  Local name
Bonn Om Toeuk

When is the Cambodian Water Festival?

Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is a three day festival celebrated on the full moon in October or November.

History of the Cambodian Water Festival

The festival marks a reversal of the flow between the Mekong and Tonle Sap rivers. Due to the amount of water deposited during the rainy season, the Tonle Sap river becomes so swollen with water that it reverses the direction of its flow and flows upstream to Tonle Sap lake.

The festival marks the switching of the flow back to its normal direction, signifying the end of the rainy season. Essentially, the festival is a time to give thanks to the rivers as they provide the region with fertile farming land and plenty of fish.

The festival is focused on boat races and concerts. The roots of the boat races can be traced back to the times of the Angkorian kings who would train and evaluate the fighting skills of their water based warriors by holding competitions on the river. These trials in turn honoured the naval victories of the Khmer empire under the leadership of Jayavarman VII in the twelfth century.

How is the Cambodian Water Festival celebrated?

The festival is one of the largest and most popular in Cambodia. Almost every town and village across Cambodia takes part in the festival, but by far, the most popular place to be is Sisowath Quay in Phnom Pen, the capital of Cambodia, where up to four million tourists, locals and foreigners will converge to watch the boat races.

The celebrations carry on night and day for the three days of the festival, with the river illuminated by fireworks and numerous brightly-lit boats under the full moon.

Ork Ambok

A traditional Khmer delicacy popular during Bon Om Touk is Ork Ambok​, a rice dish where rice is fried in the husk, then crushed and mixed with banana and coconut and banana.

In 2015, for the fourth time in five years, the boat races and related festivities in Phnom Penh had to be cancelled due to low water levels. If this happens, the festival remains a public holiday.


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