WATER FESTIVAL OF CAMBODIA

The second greatest celebration--after the Khmer New Year--in Cambodian culture is the annual water festival. Held in November, ostensibly it marks the time of the year when the Tonle Sap River reverses its direction and starts flowing back toward the Mekong River and the sea. The actual dates for the festival are set well in advance, however, because of the unpredictability of the end of the rainy season which is the cause of the river's reversal.

The festival is centered on the Mekong River at Phnom Penh, and approximately one million people migrate from the provinces to the capital for a real national celebration centered on the racing of about 400 boats representing teams and communities from all over the country.