The water festival is one of the most joyful and significant festival in the Cambodia culture. This festival is celebrated annually for three days on the Tonle sap river in front of the royal palace. During these three days in the Phnom Phen have a lot of people that come to visited and celebrate the water festival. Now I have some observation about the water festival to describe.


First of all, after the tragic events on the last day of the festival in 2010, it was canceled the following three years. Then, the water festival was restored in 2014, even if has a little visitor that attend the festivities. In 2015 the government has been canceled again because of the water level is too low.

Eventually, in 2016 the water festival took place in its former glory with a good atmosphere and lots of visitor. Now in 2017 the water festival had been celebrated again with wonderful events. Especially more than one million people visited the three days water festival in Phnom phen.

During the water festival, the people like watching boat racing on the river in afternoon and at night they enjoy watching firework and lantern floating (bon dae broteb) in front the royal palace. For the person who stay at home they usually do the moom salutation (sompeas preah kae )and eating of the pestle new special rice with banana or coconut juice ( ork ambok ) .

By the Khmer Times News said that more than 8000 tonnes of rubbish were collected over three days in the four phnom phen districts where the festival took place. City hall said more than 1000 waste collectors worked around the clock to keep the city clean and comely.

In conclusion, the water festival is the festivity for the Cambodian people who celebrated every years and going for work during the ceremony days really refreshed our mood. All of these, it’s my certain exploration of the water festival.