The Cambodian Water Festival (spelled in the original Khmer as Bon Om Touk , or Bon Om Thook , or Bonn Om Teuk , or Bon Om Tuk ) takes place once a year, on the full moon of the Buddhist month of Kadeuk, the day 12 of the Khmer lunar calendar (usually in November). Celebrate an important natural event: the reverse flow between the Tonle Sap and the Mekong River.
- For other Khmer holidays, read our list of Cambodia festivals.
For most of the year, the Tonle Sap flows into the Mekong River. However, when the rainy season arrives in June, the Mekong rises, reversing the flow to pour water into the lake, increasing its size tenfold. When the rainy season ends in November, the Mekong falls once more, allowing the current to recede again, emptying excess Tonle Sap waters back into the Mekong.
This natural event is celebrated in Cambodia with three days of festivals, river parades, boat races, fireworks and general merriment, if the authorities have not canceled the celebrations (as they are known to have done).
In relation to the Gregorian calendar, Bon Om Touk occurs on the following dates:
- 2018 – November 22
- 2019 – November 11
- 2020 – November 31
An old thank you to the river
Then, as now, Tonle Sap is a main focus of life for many Cambodians. It is a source of livelihood for fishermen and farmers alike: it is rich in fish stocks and silt deposits left by floods fertilize the fields. It’s no wonder Cambodians have celebrated Bon Om Touk for centuries – it’s a way of giving back to the river that has given them so much.
Bon Om Touk dates back to the 12th century, to the time of the Angkorian king Jayavarman VII. The Water Festival was celebrated by the Marina del Rey to kick off the Cambodian fishing season: the river festivities are meant to keep the river divinities happy, ensuring a bountiful harvest of rice and fish for the year to come.
A competitive story holds that Bon Om Touk was a way for the King to prepare his army for battle. At Bayon, near Siem Reap and Banteay Chhmar, near the Thai border, naval battles have been carved into the stone, depicting ships that are not much different from the ships that race today on Tonle Sap.
Three ceremonies underpin the entire Bon Om Touk celebration:
- Loy Pratip – A nighttime river parade, with beautifully lit boats lighting up the waterways. Government institutions sponsor each of the boats in the parade.
- Sampeas Preah Khe: the greeting to the moon. The full moon is supposed to be a good sign for the upcoming harvest, which is why Cambodians make sure to thank you at Bon Om Touk, and pray for a bountiful harvest ahead.
- Auk Ambok: At midnight, celebrators gather in temples to eat ambok (“flattened rice”), a festive rice dish. Ambok is simply rice fried in the shell, mashed to remove the shell, and mixed with banana and coconut.
Three day celebration
Bon Om Touk lasts three full days. Many outsiders converge on Tonle Sap, entire communities en masse to enter their competing boats.
People come from all over to join in the celebrations. The school is closed and most of the workers are going on vacation. More than a million Cambodians gather on the banks of the river to celebrate; Those who cannot find hotel rooms often camp on the streets!
The colorful racing boats are arguably the main stars of the event. They have bright paint schemes, often with painted eyes on the bow to ward off evil. The largest ships are over a hundred feet long, manned with up to eighty rowers.
Unlike western regattas, Cambodian crews look ahead. Many boat crews are complemented by a colorful dressed lady at the bow who dances to the beat of the drums.
During the first two days, the races are held with two boats each, and the big race occurs on the last day, when all the boats go out to the river to compete.
As contestants band together to compete in the middle of the river, the riverbank is packed with boat crews practicing for their next race, creating a brilliant display of their colorful shirts adorned with their sponsor’s logos.
In the evenings, the festivities continue with carnival games, traditional music performances and dancing.
A healthy carnival atmosphere prevails for the duration of the Water Festival: food and drink overflow the streets, Khmer pop bands entertain the crowds, and the riverbanks are packed with punters cheering on their favorite boats. .
Where to go
Parties are more fun in the capital. In Phnom Penh, you can join the crowd at Sisowath Quay facing the Mekong River, but watch out for petty theft.
What is the best option to be in the middle of the action? Watching the boat races from the terrace bar at the Foreign Correspondents Club at 363 Sisowath Quay, you can have a drink while enjoying a full view of the races down the river.
