When it comes to culturally rich nations, Cambodia holds a special place among world countries as the Southeast Asian country has to offer rich traditions of music and colors. And there is no more appropriate demonstration of Cambodia’s true cultural depiction than the famous Water and Moon Festival, also known as ‘Bun Om Tuk’, which attracts millions of tourists from all corners of the world to Khmer. The colorful festival is organized in the country’s capital, Phnom Penh. Although the locals celebrate the Water and Moon Festival in the Buddhist month of Kadeuk, international tourists should make sure they arrive in Cambodia to attend this magnificent display of Cambodian culture by the month of November.
The natives of Cambodia have been proudly celebrating the Water and Moon Festival for many centuries in memory of the naval victory achieved by Jayavarman VII, the great Khmer Empire King and a great spectacle is held at the Tonle Sap River to mark this historical event as hundreds of traditional rowing boats line up to compete in an exciting race. Cambodia has a rich history in rowing which can be traced back in time to the days of the great Khmer Empire when rowing was used as an effective technique to prepare for battles by Khmer armies. Tourists from all countries of the world gather to watch the dazzling scene where nearly 150 rowing boats with a traditional dragon face and bearing at least 40 rowers on each rowing boat get ready to start this exciting race.
But the Water and Moon Festival is something more than just a long-established Khmer race as in the evening a bright float parade is arranged for in which Loy Pratip, traditional illuminated Khmer floats stage a dazzling display of rich Cambodian culture. And on top of the amazing float parade, beautiful fireworks display brings an overall mood of festivity among the large crowd gathered alongside the river and circling the famous Royal Palace. In order to get a fair idea of the scenes visible during the Water and Moon Festival in the Phnom Penh you can compare it to the famous New Orleans event, the Mardi Gras parade.
Another aspect of the Water and Moon Festival which holds special religious significance for the natives is ‘Sampeas Preah Khe’ or the Moon Salutation. The natives consider the full moon as a great prospect for a good harvest and as this festival is held to mark the full moon, the locals pay their tribute to the moon in this festival. Moreover, because of the fact that the festival is held at the start of the fresh fishing season and close to year end, many take this opportunity to pray for the prosperity of Cambodia in the coming year.
Every important festival is famous for its food, similarly the Water and Moon Festival offers a great Cambodian recipe named ‘Ork Ambuk’, which is a renowned Cambodian specialty for this landmark festival. During the festival people are offered Ork Ambuk consisting of banana or coconut juice served with rice, while many people choose to drink appetizing juices extracted from various other fruits and vegetables. The three day festival marks an annul event which keeps the locals waiting for it throughout the year, meanwhile foreign tourists get to see the colorful side of the Cambodian culture giving them yet another reason to arrive in this Southeast Asian nation same time next year.
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