The Water Festival of Cambodia

Cambodia Water Festival is the most popular and biggest Khmer traditional festival celebrated in Phnom Penh, Kingdom of Cambodia (www.tourismindochina.com/geography-cambodia.htm ). Tourist boom occur annually when such a great opportunity arrive and it seem like Carnival celebration because almost 10% of the population move to the heart city of Cambodia, the yet explored and exotic Kingdom.

For fun, excitement, action and spectacle surely none of many boat racing events in the region match this four-day river gala in Phnom Penh. It is colorful competition that engages the large portion of population connected to the country's water ways.

A swirl of color blankets the Tonle Sap River (www.tourismindochina.com/siem%20reap-attractionsite.htm), as hundreds of boats cluster near its shores. From these banks the thousand of revelers throw up cheers to oarsmen and women who already themselves for race that pays tribute to the power of vital life source. Bonn Om Touk, or the Water festival, ushers in the fishing season and markets reversal of the current in the Tonle Sap River. Typically held near the end of November, when the Mekong sinks back to its normal levels, Bonn Om Touk is the most attended Cambodian national festival. Approximately 10% of the country's population gathers to play games, give thanks to the moon, and watch the long boat race in Phnom Penh. Fireworks and a lighted flotilla of boats add to festivities.

According to the Mekong River Commission, the Mekong is the 12th largest river in the world, and the 10th-largest by volume. From Tibet it run's through China Yunnan Province, Burma, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam (www.tourismindochina.com/index-vietnam.html) , an estimated length 4,800 km. From June to September the Mekong is in full flood, as a result of torrential rain fall. The force of water coming down stream pushes again the current in Tonle Sap, causing it to flow backward in to the Great Lake, which swell to more than five times it dry season size. This surge and retreat drives one of the most productive fisheries in the world: in Cambodia alone basin provides breeding habitats more than 1,300 species of fish, and annual rise and fall of the river ensures a nutrient- rich environment topped only by Amazon.