Bon Um Tuk, Water Festival.

Whether you’re a boating fanatic, or just up for some tropical (wet and wild) fun, Bon Um Tuk or ‘The Festival of Boat Races’ is not to be missed if you’re heading to Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. The festival takes place annually in November, for the three nights during the full moon. If this timing suggests to you that at the core of the festival is a mysterious and prevailing sense of tradition then you wouldn’t be far wrong; the story behind the festival is wholly superstitious, and acts as a reminder to Cambodian enemies of her military victories on water.

These days, thankfully, the event is less about stark military messages, and more about throwing a big Buddhist (and competitive!) party at the end of the rainy season, to thank mother earth for providing the country with fertility and well being.

But now the most important part of the festival, a.k.a the action; and there’s plenty of it to behold. Witness over three hundred and fifty dragon boats, made and exotically decorated by various teams of villagers, race until sunset down the river while those on dry land throw a cracking good party until the finale.

The festival may dominate the capital for three days but it certainly doesn’t take anything away from Phnom Penh as a city. The festival, in fact, provides a greater opportunity for the visitor to appreciate Cambodia’s sparkling capital. It lights up the splendid Chaktomuk River and Royal Palace, bringing its key tourist attractions and cultural splendor well and truly to life.

Lucinda Day http://www.worldreviewer.com/member/lucinda-day/