What’s on in Phnom Penh
Chat Preah Nengkal
TBC 2024
In front of the National Museum, near the Royal Palace.
Chat Preah Nengkal, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, is an ancient Cambodian agricultural rite that takes place in front of the National Museum, near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. T…
Chat Preah Nengkal
TBC 2024
In front of the National Museum, near the Royal Palace.
Chat Preah Nengkal, the Royal Ploughing Ceremony, is an ancient Cambodian agricultural rite that takes place in front of the National Museum, near the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh. The ceremony is held in early May each year where all banks, ministries, and embassies are closed during the event. Cambodians have a number of traditional rituals for forecasting the weather and determining whether harvests will be fruitful. Chat Preah Nengkal is the ancient royal rite marking the start of the rice-growing season. In the ritual, sacred oxen plough a patch of ceremonial ground so that Brahmins can sow some rice seed. Once the seed is sown, the sacred animals are offered a selection of food, including rice, beans, grass, and rice whisky, and the royal soothsayers make predictions for the harvest based on the appetites and food selection of the oxen. Although the Royal Ploughing Ceremony may not be as festive or exciting as some other Cambodian festivals, it is interesting to see this ancient ritual practiced. If you are in Phnom Penh at the time of the ceremony, it is well worth taking part in the event and celebrations. Before the ritual is performed, there is an impressive ceremonial procession, featuring a ceremonial guard and traditional dancers.
Water and Moon Festival
14 November 2024
The Water Festival or Bon Om Touk is Cambodia's Mardi Gras and Carnival rolled into one. The traditional festival is an exuberant celebration marked by three days of boat races and…
Water and Moon Festival
14 November 2024
The Water Festival or Bon Om Touk is Cambodia's Mardi Gras and Carnival rolled into one. The traditional festival is an exuberant celebration marked by three days of boat races and partying on the southern end of the Tonle Sap, and indeed all over Cambodia. The three-day festival is the biggest and most spectacular event on the Cambodian calendar. Both locals and tourists flock from far and wide to the capital, Phnom Penh, and other hot spots to enjoy the pageantry, partying, fireworks and boat races. Although smaller than the mammoth celebrations in the capital, festivities and races also happen in Siem Reap near Angkor Wat. The festival heralds the start of the fishing season and coincides with the reversal of the current in the Tonle Sap River, which flows uphill for half the year. Illuminated floats, celebrations of the full moon and various feasts support the boat races. Hundreds of boats compete in this annual festival, decorated with the traditional dragon heads, and each bearing up to 40 rowers. The racing of the pirogue boats is fast, loud and energetic, making the Water and Moon festival one of the most popular times to visit Cambodia.