Moha Sangkranta (មហាសង្ក្រាន្): Khmer New Year

I only intended to stay in Cambodia for a week or so, but with COVID delays and visa paperwork, I ended up staying for 15 days. I was ready to go back to Thailand, especially as I didn't have the opportunity for any traveling or much sightseeing while I was there. One bit of silver lining, however, was that I ended up being in Cambodia for the Khmer New Year, a three-day festival that corresponds to Songkran in neighboring Thailand.

Songkran in Thailand has been cancelled for the past several years due to the pandemic, but as Cambodia (the most vaccinated country in Asia) is steadily opening up, they government is permitting the celebrations! I am in Phnom Penh, the capital, where the celebrations are more spiritual and a bit more laid-back. Everyone I have met here in Cambodia told me that the biggest water-throwing celebration in the kingdom takes place in Siem Reap. That sounds like a ton of fun! Maybe in another year!

I didn't see any water guns or splashing here, though. What I did see was markets full of these plant and flower offerings which people would buy to set out on tables in front of their homes or businesses.

As the festival approached, decorations began going up all over the city, especially at temples. One large pagoda near my hotel was festooned with colorful prayer flags leading up to the new year.

Wat Phnom, the oldest and most important temple in the city, was also decorated! I had already visited a few days before, bit I figured that paying the $1 ticket was worth it to see what was going on for the holiday.

A sort of carnival with lots of traditional food had been set up in the circular plaza surrounding the temple.

I climbed the steps up to a small Chinese-style shrine about halfway up the hill upon which the temple's large stupa is built. Called the "White Tiger Shrine", this little shrine is especially important in the year 2022 - the Year of the Tiger in the Chinese Zodiac.

There was a sort of ritual going on when I arrived. As one man chanted something in a language I couldn't identify (Khmer? Pali Sanskrit?), others placed slabs of raw meat into the open mouths of the lion statues that guarded the shrine.

I did some research and found an article in the Phnom Penh Post about this ritual, which was also performed a few months back during the Chinese New Year. If you are interested, I'll link it here for your further reading! >> https://www.phnompenhpost.com/lifestyle-arts-culture/wat-phnom-ritual-wards-new-years-woes

Essentially, the ritual consists of placing pork belly, eggs, and squid into the mouths of the guardian lions to ward off bad luck and attract good things in the new year.

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On my way back from the temple, I passed the Central Post Office, a colonial-era building which opened in 1895! Today, it is known as one of the finest examples of surviving colonial architecture in Phnom Penh.

A banner hanging above the entrance read "Happy Khmer New Year".

I poked my head inside the Post Office. There was a large shrine set up inside as well, full of offerings for the new year. It seems that the celebrations in Phnom Penh are more spiritual than in Siem Reap, which seems to lean more into the fun party side of the new year.

In the evening, loud music drew me out of my hotel room to the small park in front of the nearby Royal Palace. A sort of fair had been set up, with food trucks, snack vendors, and toys and games for sale.

Some mats had been laid down on the ground where people could sit, eat, and enjoy the music in the relatively cool evening air.

It was nice to get the chance to experience a different sort of Songkran. While I do get the impression that the festivities were still a bit subdued in Cambodia, at least they are being permitted again this year for the first time since the pandemic began. It's a glimmer of hope that things are finally returning to normal! It's also cool to see how the celebrations are a little different in Cambodia from in Thailand, though the festival shares a common root. It would be fun to visit Siem Reap for Songkran some year. I've also heard that the festival is very popular in Laos, where it's called "Pi Mai". Sometime in the future, I'll have to plan some visits to neighboring countries during this holiday season.