Cambodian New Year: How and Where to Celebrate in Cambodia
The new Cambodian year, Bon Chol Chhnam Thmei is celebrated throughout the country. This holiday, also known as Khmer New Year, is the most important in Cambodia, as it paralyzes almost the entire country. City dwellers return to the provinces to spend time with their families, organize parties and visit their local pagoda. Somewhat similar to the Songkran New Year Festival celebrated in Thailand and other parts of Southeast Asia, Cambodian New Year 2021 will begin on Wednesday, 14 April and ends on Friday, 16 April
The Cambodian New Year celebration celebrates the end of the harvest season and marks the start of a new year (and also the start of the hot season). Although the holidays officially only last three or four days this year, April 14, 15 and 16, it can extend into one or two adjacent weekends and, often even, a few days before that. In the days leading up to the Khmer New Year, the rates for transportation can be much higher than usual.
The Khmer New Year marks the end of the harvest season. Farmers can thus enjoy the fruits of their labor and can relax before the onset of the rainy season. Most of the inhabitants of Phnom Penh are packing their bags and preparing to leave for the countryside to celebrate the Khmer New Year. The city will thus be left seemingly pretty during these days. So, if you want to live the party, you should also pack your bags and go to one of the villages in the countryside. In the villages, people indulge in traditional Khmer games. They dedicate themselves to local games like Bas Angkunh, Chaol Chhoung, Leak Kanséng, Twisted Scarf and dance to traditional Khmer songs.
It is true that Cambodians have the opportunity to celebrate the New Year. And it was only recently that they celebrated the International New Year and then the Lunar New Year (also called Chinese New Year). But the Cambodian New Year is different. It is the most important holiday in Cambodia and one of the only times of the year when Cambodians are absent from work a lot. The houses are decorated with stars, fairy lights, plants, and various food and drink offerings (usually Fanta), and everyone is wearing new clothes. There are always several pop songs released every year to celebrate the Khmer New Year. This is what the year 2019 has to offer.
Traditionally, the Cambodian New Year or Khmer New Year was the year when everyone born in that year was counted one year older. In a way, it was the birthday of all Cambodians. This is a big part of why you hear pretty loud music in most country homes this week, and why you’ll hear endless amounts of karaoke until the early hours of the morning! It is the anniversary of “Cambodia”. Nowadays, however, more and more Cambodians are registering their date of birth, but that hasn’t stopped everyone from celebrating the Khmer New Year.
During the Khmer New Year, Phnom Penh is eerily quiet. Most restaurants and businesses are closed to allow their employees to return home. In Siem Reap, it’s the opposite of the Cambodian New Year. The city is adorned with New Year’s stars, and the temple route is adorned with Christmas decorations. It is a holiday tradition to go to Pub Street, tourists are barely visible among the thousands of Cambodians partying outside.
In Siem Reap, the Cambodian New Year’s event lasts for three days in the temples of Angkor, called Angkor Sankranti. It is very popular with Cambodians who go to play various traditional games. In the past two years in a row, a world record has been set for the world’s largest sticky rice cake made from sticky rice, mung beans and pork. Later, a rice cake eater contest was developed. It is likely that there will be a bigger pork rice cake than the previous one this year. Foreigners and locals can attend the event for free, but if a foreigner wants to enter the temples, then they will have to pay the $ 37 for regular admission.
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The three days of the traditional Khmer New Year
Other names for Cambodian New Year or Khmer New Year include Chol Chnam Thmey and Angkor Songkran. Whatever name you give it, you can expect a lively atmosphere and joyous celebrations to pervade all of Cambodia – including here in Siem Reap – as the country sees it in this traditional New Year. The Khmer New Year celebrations take place over three days, and each day of the festivities has special significance.
Day one – Moha Songkran
The first day of Khmer New Year celebrations is known as Moha Songkran, when traditional belief is that a new god or angel takes responsibility for protecting the world in the coming year. Cambodians welcome this new god or angel and prepare the ground for the new year to begin auspiciously, by cleaning and decorating their homes.
It is common for Cambodian Buddhist families to visit their local temple to show off at this time of year. Back home, they also distributed a table of offerings of fruits, cakes and special Khmer festival-worthy dishes. This offering table is also often decorated with incense sticks, flowers and strings of flashing lights that are traditionally believed to have the power to protect the home and its occupants for the next 12 months.
Day two – Virak Wanabat
The second day of the Khmer New Year, known as Virak Wanabat: Cambodians remember others and do good deeds, most especially by giving gifts to each other, including parents, grandparents, the elderly, children and less fortunate, as well as by visiting the local temple to receive blessings from the monks and to remember the ancestors. The hope is that the accomplishment of these good deeds will allow individuals to have good luck themselves in the coming year.
Day Three – Tanai Loeng Sak
On the third day of the Cambodian New Year , it’s time to focus on the New Year itself. Tanai Loeng Sak, the name given to the third and final day of the festivities, is a new beginning. The occasion is marked by further offerings to the elders and by returning to the local temple to bathe Buddha images and receive other blessings from the monks.
The last day of the Cambodian New Year is also the day the water guns go out and things take on a more lively and fun vibe. Don’t expect a ceremony to be of the same magnitude as celebrations in Thailand and elsewhere. But it is common for Cambodians, especially young people, to take to the streets for light water fights and really get the chance to ring in the New Year in a fun and festive way.
What to know about Khmer New Year in Siem Reap
There is no better place in Cambodia to celebrate the Khmer New Year than in Siem Reap. This already bustling and fun city gets extra festive energy for celebrations this time of year. In addition to the water battles you will witness (and participate in!) On the last day of the Cambodian New Year, Cambodians also like to organize light traditional ball games, as well as variations of tug of war – passed down from generation to generation. generation – to mark the occasion. And it would not be Cambodia without these games being accompanied by many traditional Khmer songs and dances.
That said, Cambodia remains a traditional agrarian society, and for much of the population, the Khmer New Year holidays mark the end of a grueling agricultural season. It is an opportunity to rest, recover and spend time with loved ones. It is common for Cambodians to live and work away from their families in the provinces where they grew up. The Khmer New Year gives them a rare opportunity to come back to spend time with family and friends, often for a week or more. This means that your favorite cafe, bar or restaurant may be closed during the Khmer New Year period.
In Phnom Penh there are usually fireworks displays and you will see impromptu parties organized with a music box playing Khmer tunes in the street. Cambodians who have not had time to take time off from work to go to the provinces pass and stop to dance happily in the streets. Wat Botum Park is also a good place to visit to see traditional games.
How to celebrate Khmer New Year 2021 in Siem Reap
Cambodian New Years Street Parties
The best way to enjoy the Cambodian New Year festivities is to join them! Watch for spontaneous street parties around Pub Street, along the Siem Reap River, and in the Royal Gardens, then explore the city and join in the fun. Expect live concerts, fireworks, and plenty of delicious Cambodian food and drink to sample.
Angkor Wat Festival of Angkor Sangkranta
The annual Angkor Sangkranta festival is one of the highlights of the Khmer New Year celebrations in Siem Reap. The festival takes place around Angkor Wat and elsewhere in Angkor Archaeological Park, with traditional games, Cambodian martial arts, music, dancing and many of the great Khmer food you will find on the streets. Get ready to be part of a huge crowd from all walks of life looking to get involved!
Head to the local temple
There’s no better way to get a close-up of the traditional side of the Khmer New Year festivities, arguably the more accessible festivities in Cambodia than in neighboring countries like Thailand, than by simply walking at the temple closest to your hotel in Siem Reap. Local temples and pagodas are always happy to welcome curious visitors and you will get a real sense of how important holidays are to the Cambodian people on a daily basis.
The Cambodian New Year is the perfect time to get out of the city and explore the countryside, where you will find many parties, friendly neighbors and happy children. Don’t be surprised if you are invited to participate in the celebrations.
Take a tour to discover Cambodia
If you want to fully enjoy your stay, it is preferable to have a guide who can accompany you during this discovery. This will save you wasting time looking for itineraries, as the Cambodia tour will be tailored to your expectations.
- A local agency located in Phnom Penh will be able to offer you such a stay.
- Indeed, the circuit is essential on the occasion of the Khmer New Year, you can then enjoy this very popular cultural event.
- It will also be the opportunity to discover this universe a little more closely as well as the Khmer culture while being close to the inhabitants.
- The circuits can be selected according to the themes that you like such as temples, culture, archeology …
If you are looking for solutions for your next vacation, do not hesitate to choose Cambodia since you will not be disappointed by the environment, the welcome of the inhabitants as well as the traditions, whether cultural or culinary. In addition, the itinerary can be offered for 4 days only or more than two weeks, you then choose the duration most suited to your needs, it will also be suitable for discoveries.
