Cambodian New Year, or Khmer New Year, is the grandest and most lively traditional festival in Cambodia. It is held in mid-April each year and lasts for three days.
When the New Year arrives, people thoroughly clean their homes, hang colorful flags and star-shaped lanterns, and display the national flag and festive banners with New Year blessings at their doorways, filling their homes with a joyful holiday atmosphere.
On the first day of the Cambodian New Year, people hold a ceremony to welcome the New Year angel.
According to legend, Brahma, the Four-Faced God, made a bet with a young man to solve a riddle. The loser would have to cut off his own head. The young man learned the answer from two eagles and won the bet. Brahma kept his promise and cut off his head, but the severed head was so powerful that if it was not properly placed, it could bring disaster to the world. To prevent this, Brahma instructed his seven daughters to place his head in a cave in the Himalayas. Each year, one of the daughters would carry the head up to the heavenly realm. The day this takes place is celebrated as the beginning of the Cambodian New Year.
Therefore, on the first day of the Cambodian New Year, people set up altars with offerings such as fruits, pastries, and jasmine flowers. They light incense and candles, open all the doors and windows, and prepare to welcome the New Year angel descending to the mortal world.
Brahma’s seven daughters each represent a day of the week—from Sunday to Saturday. Whichever day the New Year begins on determines which daughter descends that year. She comes to bless and protect the people. She also receives her father’s head from her sisters and carries it back to the heavens.
On the second day of the Cambodian New Year, people dress in traditional clothing and, together with their families, bring incense, candles, fresh flowers (typically lotus or jasmine), vegetarian food, and fruits to the temple to pay respects to the Buddha and make offerings to the monks. They also take part in the sand stupa building ceremony.
At the temple, a colorful canopy is set up, beneath which five small mounds of sand are formed, representing the Buddha, Buddhism, the Dharma, the father, and the mother. People sprinkle fine sand onto the five mounds to pray for protection from misfortune and for lasting happiness. This ritual is known as the sand stupa ceremony.
On the third day of the Cambodian New Year, people rise early and head to the temple to take part in the Buddha bathing ceremony.
This ceremony involves gently cleansing Buddha statues with clean water and flower petals, and praying for peace and prosperity for the nation and its people. After the ceremony, families return home, where children bathe their parents as a sign of respect, and parents splash water on their children in return—expressing good wishes for one another in the New Year.
In addition to these traditional customs, there are also many lively activities for everyone to enjoy.
During the Cambodian New Year, celebrations are held across the country, with the most vibrant festivities taking place at Wat Phnom in Phnom Penh and Angkor in Siem Reap. Streets and public spaces are beautifully decorated with colorful flags, lanterns, and ornaments. As you join the crowds, people joyfully splash each other with fragrant water and scented powder, symbolizing blessings and good wishes. It’s a unique, exotic festival atmosphere where you can truly feel the warmth and hospitality of the Cambodian people.
Temples during the Cambodian New Year are not only places for prayer and blessings but also hubs of entertainment and joy. A variety of traditional games are played there, including tug-of-war, “Angkunh” seed throwing, wet cloth tossing, sack races, eagle-and-chick, and leaf-snatching games. Join in and play like a child—it’s all part of the festive fun!
