How was your Water Festival 2008 celebration??

Water festival ( we say Bon Om Touk in Khmer ) is one of the biggest festival and the most amazing time for Cambodian citizen especially rural people to be in this wonderful and beautiful capital city, Phnom Penh. This festival is celebrated on November which is at the end of the rainy season, the start of the fishing season, and also the unique natural phenomenon - the flow of the Tonle Sap river changing direction! And not only this, the Cambodia Water Festival also coincides with the full moon of the Buddhist calendar month of Kadeuk, this full moon is traditionally a good omen promising a bountiful harvest.

Many villagers have spent almost a full year preparing their villages boat–aborately and brightly decorated dug out canoes with large eyes on the prows to ward off evil spirits. Every year, during this three-day auspicious occassion, many people coming from various places including rural and even remote area residents in Cambodia come to the capital Phnom Penh to watch the races and cheer all their village boat, which can be up to 20 meters long and contain up to 60 oarsmen, frantically paddling and chanting as the do battle in highly competitive races. The origins of the Water Festival dates back to the powerful navy of King Jayavarman II, the 9th century founder of the great Angkorian Empire, and the main purpose is to make the god of the river happy so he will provide many fish and the rice crop will be plentiful.

During this time Phnom Penh takes on a carnival atmosphere, and as well as the river banks being lined with exuberant spectators there are also live concerts, hundreds of food stands, games of chance, fair rides, and at night fireworks light up the sky and people dance in the street. However, to me, I spent this great time just as simple as my weekends. I went to Sovanna Shopping centre for two days, first and third, and went to Parkway to play bowling in the second day. It simply because it is too crowded to visit the riverside and firework, even both places I visited during the festival this year are very crowded! However, I enjoy having fun in during this wonderful festival, how about you? Come on, share some fun with me.