Bon Om Tuk or the Cambodian Water Festival, is a Cambodia

Cambodia

Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...

n festival celebrated in November and marks a reversal of the flow of the Tonle Sap River. Every town and province joins in with the festival but the biggest celebrations take place in Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh

Phnom Penh is the capital and largest city of Cambodia. Located on the banks of the Mekong River, Phnom Penh has been the national capital since the French colonized Cambodia, and has grown to become the nation's center of economic and industrial activities, as well as the center of security,...

 with boat racing along the Sisowath Quay

Sisowath Quay

Sisowath Quay is a historic riverside located in Phnom Penh parallel to Sisowath Boulevard in the Chamkarmon district. The quay is situated along the junction of the Mekong and Tonle Sap River and is situated near the Royal Palace of Cambodia....

. For three days, workers from every province join with the city's residents to celebrate by night and day. The festival lasts for three days, and commemorates the end of the country's rainy season, as well as the reversal of flow of the Tonle Sap River. It includes boat races and concerts, and attracts several million people each year.

Ak Ambok

Ak Ambok is named after the rice dish which forms part of the Bon Om Tuk ceremony. Rice is fried in the husk and then pounded with a giant pestle. The husks are removed and the special rice mixed with coconut and banana. This traditional Khmer dish is sold throughout the festival: Ak Ambok, Sampheah Preah Khae, and Bandaet Pratip

Sampeah Preah Khae

Sampeah Preah Khae is a ceremony in which salutations are made to the moon. After the Sampeah Preah Khae ceremony people gather at a pagoda at midnight for Ak Ambok.

Bandaet Pratip

Bandaet Pratip begins around 7 pm with illuminated boats taking to the water. Each boat represents a government ministry or state institution.

Incidents

The festival was the site of a major stampede

Phnom Penh stampede

The Phnom Penh stampede occurred on 22 November 2010 when 347 people were killed in a human stampede during the Khmer Water Festival celebrations in the Cambodian capital, Phnom Penh.-Background:...

 at the 2010 event, as well as having five rowers drown in 2008 and a single rower drown in 2009 during the boat races.

See also

• Public holidays in Cambodia
  Public holidays in Cambodia
  -Public holidays:-References:* Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation * Cambodian Embassy in Australia...
  
  
• Loi Krathong - a Thai celebration analogous to Bandaet Pratip