Cambodian Water Festival

by Neil Harris

Tonlé Sap, the river that runs through Phnom Penh, is unique; twice a year it changes direction. Between November and May (the dry season, the Tonlé Sap flows into the Mekong River at the confluence just to the east of Phnom Penh. However, when the monsoon rains begin in June, the Tonlé Sap reverses direction and flows back into the lake; also confusingly called Tonlé Sap; that lies just to the south of Seam Reap, home to Angkor Wat. This event is celebrated annually at the time of the full moon in November and has become, for most Cambodians, their annual holiday.

The festival lasts for three days. Approximately 1.5 million Cambodians flood into Phnom Penh swelling the population to twice its normal size. All kinds of transport are used to get to the riverside, especially the ubiquitous moped. Mopeds speed past en masse; ones with only four passengers are common, many have five, some six, the most I've seen is seven on a moped. This inspired me to set up a website showing shots of overloaded mopeds and small motorbikes, called 7onamoped.co.uk. It's not just people, these means of transport can be adapted to carry almost anything, from two metre square plate glass through to a large wardrobe.

In 2006 I was in Phnom Penh the day before the festival began so got a taster as the dragon boats practised on the river. I decided to return and visited the festival in both 2007 and 2008 and am set to return again in 2009. What's the appeal? I know of no other event that presents so much potential for people photos. The Cambodians are in party mood; as most are poor, this represents their once a year chance to let their hair down. It also attracts every street vendor able to get into Phnom Penh; they mingle with the crowds trying to sell everything from sunglasses to boiled eggs. At the same time street kids are trying to earn enough to feed themselves by retrieving empty plastic bottles from both the river and the crowd. There's no holiday for them, alas.

The main event of the festival is dragon boat racing. Throughout the three days boats race, either in pairs or threes, at around one minute intervals, sweep down mid-river alongside Sisowath Quay. In 2007 there were 452 dragon boats, most from within Cambodia, but many from abroad, mainly from SE Asia. Tragically a Singaporean boat capsized and a few of the crew drowned. Most of the dragon boats are of a size not seen in the UK, many containing around 65 rowers, both male and female, who usually wear co-ordinated T-shirts. Some have rowers seated, others, in my opinion the most spectacular ones, have standing rowers using heightened rowlocks (not a phrase I've used before) as a pivot for the oar. Most boats will have a human mascot at the front, sometimes a pretty girl in Khmer uniform alongside an offering of fruit or flowers, while a cheerleader/cox, often with the help of a loudhailer, is likely to be positioned amidships to shout encouragement, perhaps accompanied by a drummer to liven up proceedings. The contests are taken very seriously, much physical effort being put into the race; the sight of 65 crew rowing in unison can be quite hypnotic. As yet, thanks to all race information being in Cambodian, the results, or even who has won the event, have remained a mystery to me.

Well before midday on festival days, the banks of the Tonlé Sap have become overcrowded. Fortunately, and rather unfairly, the Cambodians have built a free stand next to the Royal enclosure for 'Foreign Guests'. Here there is space to move around and the chance to sit on the sloping concrete riverbank just above the waterline to photograph close-ups of the crews returning upstream after a race. Most will give three cheers to the Royal Box. By staying within the foreigners’ enclosure, though, the atmosphere of the festival is lost, so I tend to wander around.

Soon after dusk on all three days there is a firework display for around 45 minutes; at the same time, floats glide up the river. These floats are rather quaint affairs consisting of myriad light bulbs arranged into a message or picture; a map of Cambodia, for instance. If the sky is clear there is a full moon as backdrop. The hotel I stay in, the Khmer Royal, is set alongside Sisowath Quay and is both conveniently located and also ideal for viewing the fireworks from its 5th floor open air restaurant. It's also great for people watching afterwards; the throng outside becomes so concentrated by mid-evening that exit from the hotel is difficult, especially if one tries to go against the flow.

In association with the event there is a large area given over to promotional stalls of retail companies and similar. These make for an interesting cultural experience, as does the small fairground where the kind of rides that would not pass health and safety in the UK are still a major attraction. Close by, a couple of temporary stages provide the chance for Cambodian pop stars to perform alongside rather naive promotional presentations for products such as toothpaste.

The greatest joy for me is seeing and photographing ordinary Cambodians enjoying themselves. By Western standards the fare on offer is rather tatty and dated, but in a society where most are very poor, a little goes a long way.

First published in VISA 87 (Oct 2009)