Water Festival, Phnom Penh, Cambodia, South East Asia, Bon Om Touk, celebrations, national holiday, corresponds with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival and marks the end of the monsoon season, streets around the river are packed with people, market stalls and sellers of food and goods, royal palace brightly lit, as is every building nearby
Bon Om Touk, also known as the Cambodian Water Festival, is celebrated in late October or early November. The festival corresponds with the lunar Mid-Autumn Festival and marks the end of the monsoon season. Dragon boat races, similar to those in the Lao Boun Suang Huea festival, are a central part of the festivities. The celebration spans three days and commemorates the end of the rainy season and the change in the flow of the Tonlé Sap River. The festival attracts several million people each year and includes boat races, fireworks, and evening concerts. The Royal Boat Race takes place on the first day, followed by the "Bondet Bratib" ceremony where lanterns are released, symbolizing prayers for peace. The goddess Preah Mae Kongkea, associated with Hindu mythology around the Ganges river, is a central figure in the festival. The second day, Og Ambok, involves worshiping the Moon with a lantern lighting ceremony and prayers to Preah Purthisat. Og Ambok includes a group game where members try to make each other laugh, with the loser eating Ambok with bananas throughout the day. The last day of the festival concludes with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, signifying the end of the boat race and the Water and Moon Festival.
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Keywords: asia, bon, cambodia, cambodians, east, festival, festivities, kings, monarchs, om, palace, penh, phnom, south, touk, water
