Cambodian New Year

The three ceremonial days

Each day of the holiday has a dedicated purpose. The first day, Moha Sangkrant, marks the turn of the year, when families dress in fine clothes, burn incense at shrines, and wash themselves with holy water at different times of day. On the second day, Veareak Vanabat, people give alms to the homeless, low-income families, and household helpers, while also visiting monasteries to honour their ancestors. The final day, Veareak Laeung Sak, concludes the cycle as people cleanse sacred Buddha figures and bathe their parents and grandparents with fragrant water, exchanging blessings for good health, fortune, and guidance.

Rituals and temple offerings

During the festival, Buddhist grounds become bustling hubs of community life. Worshippers construct five mounds of sand, raising a large central dome to represent the celestial Valuka Chaitya stupa alongside four surrounding hillocks that honour the chief disciples of the Buddha. Another widespread custom, Srang Preah, involves pouring perfumed water or light chalk liquid over elders and neighbors. Alongside spiritual rites, people enjoy seasonal foods such as kralan, a sweet snack made by filling bamboo tubes with rice, peas or beans, coconut meat, and coconut milk, then slowly roasting them over open heat.

Community pastimes and games

When formal ceremonies conclude, street corners fill with traditional pastimes that test agility and bring neighbors together. Young people divide into teams for Chol Chhoung, tossing a fabric pouch back and forth while singing and dancing if hit. In Chap Kon Kleng, players act out a hen shielding her chicks against a predatory crow. Other favorites include Bos Angkunh, a target-tossing contest, Leak Kanseng, a circle-chasing game played with a rolled towel, and Bay Khom, a counting board game. People also enjoy Klah Klok, placing bets on rolling dice decorated with animals and items.

How Cambodian New Year is kept

Across three days, Khmer households clean themselves with blessed water, put on their best clothing, and visit Buddhist temples. They prostrate before images of the Buddha, offer food, and build symbolic sand stupas on monastery grounds. Families direct charity to those in need and hold memorial rites for departed ancestors. Younger relatives wash their parents and sacred statues with scented water to wash away misdeeds and seek blessings. In public squares and open streets, crowds come together to dance, sing, and play folk games.

When and where

The holiday begins on 13 or 14 April each year and lasts for three days. It marks the solar new year and coincides with the completion of the agricultural harvest, arriving before the wet season begins.

The festival is celebrated across Cambodia in homes, village squares, and Buddhist pagodas. Special cultural gatherings such as Angkor Sangkrant take place in Siem Reap, while Khmer communities abroad frequently gather during surrounding weekends.

What Cambodian New Year means

The rituals celebrate fresh beginnings, gratitude, and moral cleansing. Washing Buddha statues and pouring perfumed water over parents symbolizes scrubbing away past wrongdoings while earning happiness, health, and parental wisdom. Raising sand mounds honors Buddhist cosmology, while charity and ancestor rites express filial devotion, community care, and appreciation for the bounty of the completed harvest season.

On the table

• Kralan

Questions people ask about Cambodian New Year

See also

Ghost FestivalA full-moon night in the seventh lunar month for feeding ghosts and guiding souls homeLoy KrathongA Thai festival of floating leaf baskets on rivers to honor water and release negativity.Royal Ploughing CeremonyA royal agricultural rite opening the rice season across mainland Southeast AsiaLosarThe Tibetan Buddhist New Year festival of renewal, offerings, and family feasts

Good reading and sources

• Cambodian New Year on WikipediaEncyclopedia
• More photos on Wikimedia CommonsPhotos and video
• Wikidata recordOpen data

It may contain mistakes. Traditions differ from one family, village and community to the next, and the people who keep them know them best. If something is wrong, tell us. Last refreshed 2026-10-04.