Bon Om Touk
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Bon Om Thook (Khmer: (พี'นิส) n.องคชาต,ลึงค์,ควย คำศัพท์ย่อย), the Khmer Water Festival, is a Cambodian festival celebrated in November. Every town and province joins in with the festival but the biggest celebrations take place in Phnom Penh. 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,[1] as well as the reversal of flow of the Tonle Sap River.[2] It includes boat races and concerts, and attracts several million people each year.[1][3]
The boat racing that takes place during the festival is a tradition over a thousand years old that commemorates the power of the ancient Khmer Empire.[2]
Bon Om Thook is ancient; having its roots in a time when the Angkorian kings would test the fighting prowess of their warriors by holding competitions. The races were a form of training and a means by which the king could choose his champions. To this end they were used in a similar way to jousting tournaments in medieval Europe.
Cambodian temple carvings at Bayon and Banteay Chmar have numerous depictions of battles fought on water. Spiritually, the festival provides a chance to give thanks to Buddha for the year's rice crop and to ask for sufficient rain in the coming year. There are 3 other ceremonies during the festival.
The festival was the site of a major stampede at the 2010 event,[1] as well as having five rowers drown in 2008 and a single rower drown in 2009 during the boat races.[4]
Ork Ambok
Ork Ambok (Khmer: អកអំបុក) is named after the rice dish which forms part of the Bon Om Thook 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: Orm Ambok, Sampheah Preah Kae, and Bandaet Pratip
Sampheah Preah Kae
Sampheah Preah Kae (Khmer: សំពះព្រះខែ) is a ceremony in which salutations are made to the moon. After the Sampheah Preah Kae ceremony people gather at a pagoda at midnight for Ork Ambok.
Bandaet Pratip
Bandaet Pratip (Khmer: បណ្ដែតប្រទីប) begins around 7 pm with illuminated boats taking to the water. Each boat represents a government ministry or state institution.
References
- ^ a b c "At Least 345 Die in Cambodian Stampede". Time Magazine. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ a b "Cambodia's Water Festival". Al Jazeera. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 Novemeber 2010.
{{cite web}}: Check date values in:|accessdate=(help) - ^ "Hundreds Die in Stampede on Cambodian Island". The New York Times. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
- ^ "Cambodia Water Festival turns tragic with deadly stampede". Christian Science Moniter. 22 November 2010. Retrieved 23 November 2010.
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