CAMBODIA HOLIDAY

Holidays are very important in every country. Apart from International Holidays each country has their own public holidays depending on their National festivals and events. In addition each and every state will have some more holidays for their particular state depending on their special functions or events. Here in this article we will have a look about the public holidays in Cambodia country in the year 2010.

* January 1 – New Year’s Day – even though New Year’s Day is a holiday in Cambodia, the Cambodian people do not participate much in New Year day celebrations. Only the tourists and other foreigners celebrate New Year’s Day in Cambodia.

* January 7 – Liberation Day – This is the day where Vietnamese invaded Cambodia and put an end to the Khmer Rouge rule. But most of the Cambodians feel that after this invasion Cambodia was filled up with Vietnamese to a greater extent.

* January 30 – Meak Bochea – this day is celebrated as an auspicious occasions that happened 9 months after Lord Buddha’s Enlightenment at Bamboo Grove in Veluvana.

* February 13 -15 – Chinese New Year – both Vietnamese and Chinese New Year fall on this day. Even though it is not a public holiday in Cambodia, people will celebrate with much interest and enthusiasm. All shops in Cambodia will be closed during these three days.

* March 8 – International Women’s Day – This day is well known for everyone.

* April 14 -16 – Khmer New Year – according to the Buddhist lunar calendar, at the end of the harvest period Khmer New Year will be celebrated for three days. This New Year is very special to everyone in Cambodia. All houses and shrines will be decorated completely and all traditional events take place during these three days.

* April 28 – Visakha Bochea – this day is the birth day of Buddha.

* May 1 – Labour Day – International Labour day is celebrated on May 1.

* May 2 – Bonn Chrott Preah Nongkoal – on this day royal ploughing ceremony will take place in order to make people aware of the upcoming rainy season and also to inform their farmers to be ready with their ploughing tool to plough their field.

* May 13 -15 – King Sihamoni’s Birthday – on this day fireworks take place in the river front in Phnom Penh.

* June 1 – International Children’s Day

* June 18 – King’s Mother Birthday – no festival on this day, but regarded as a holiday.

* October 7–9 – Bonn Pchum Ben – this festival is practiced to bless their ancestor’s souls, friends and relatives.

* September 24 – Constitutional Day – to the constitution of Cambodia.

* October 29 – King Sihamoni Coronation Day – there won’t be any festival on this day, but later in the evening only fireworks will take place in the river front in Phnom Penh.

* October 31 – King’s Father Birthday, Norodom Sihanouk – only fireworks in the river front in Phnom Penh.

* November 9 – Independence Day (1953) – celebrated in the early morning near the Independence Monument with king as the head.

* November 20-22 – Water Festival – This festival is celebrated to mark the reversal flow of the river Tonle Sap and also to inform fishers about the upcoming fishing season.

* December 10 – Human Rights Day – to give importance to human rights, this day is celebrated.

 Dr. Wendy Longo

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