Chinese New Year (January or February)
Due to cultural influence of China and large number of Chinese people in Cambodia, the Chinese New Year is widely celebrated, especially in Phnom Penh.
Khmer New Year (Mid April)
Celebrating the turn of the year (according to ancient Khmer calendar, counting time from the day the Buddha died) and the end of the harvest, the three day festival of Khmer New Year is one of the main events of the year. All over the country the decorated Wats (temples) are extremely busy and the streets are filled with happy people singing, dancing and playing traditional games.
Royal Ploughing Day (May)
Celebrated at the beginning of the raining season, Royal Ploughing day marks the start of the rice-planting. A ceremonial furrow is ploughed in the park front of Phnom Penh National Museum , then the sacred cows are offered selected foods and foretellers predict the following year based on appetite of the cows. For this festival both men and women can be seen wearing brightly colored traditional Khmer costume.
Pchum Ben (September)
Cambodians believe that most of the living creatures are reincarnated at death, but some unfortunate souls will be trapped to the spirit world due to bad karma. Pchum Ben or the Festival of the Dead is a time when it is believed that these souls are released for fifteen days to search for their living relatives, who offer them food and meditate and pray to reduce the bad karma to enable the reincarnation of their ancestors.
Water Festival (October or November)
Starting from last full moon of October or early November, population of Phnom Penh is doubled when people all over the country come to celebrate the three day water festival. The festival marks the change of the flow of the Tonle Sap river, at this time Tonle Sap begins to flow back towards the sea, and it is celebrated with a boat race on the river and impressive fireworks. The festival is also celebrated in Siem Reap.
King Sihanouk's Birthday (October 31)
celebration of King Norodom Sihanouk's Birthday, mostly in the capital Phnom Penh where the Royal palace is open to public and at evening people gather to riverside for a grand fireworks display.
Independence Day (November 9)
9th of November 1953 Cambodia gained independence from France ; celebrations include a parade in front of the Royal Palace
Other events
Visaka Bochea Day (May)
Queen Norodom Monineath's Birthday (June 18)
Constitution Day and Recoronation of King Norodom Sihanouk (Sept 24)
