Cambodia has numerous public holidays, including memorial holidays and religious holidays of Buddhist origin. The Khmer traditional calendar, known as Chântôkôtĕ, is a lunisolar calendar although the word itself means lunar calendar. While the calendar is based on the movement of the moon, calendar dates are also synchronized with the solar year to keep the seasons from drifting.

Public holidays

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| New Year's Day<br />

| January 1

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| International Women's Day<br />

| March 8

| Commemorates the formal surrender of all Khmer Rouge forces in 1998.

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Other festivals

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| Dough Sokheng Festival

| November or December

| Exactly one month after the Water Festival, the Festival of Kite Flying follows and brings together kite makers to demonstrate their talents in the full-moon night of Maksir, the first month of the Khmer lunar calendar, which usually falls in November or December. For Khmers, the festival means an occasion to pray for good weather, good harvest of crops, and a favorable situation free from destruction by floods or heavy rains. In Khmer folklore, the kite has always symbolized many things. A good number of locals hold the Festival of Kite Flying annually and wish for peace, freedom, and happiness for everyone.

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| Silkworm Festival

| September

| The festival is held on a full-moon day in September every year. The traditions had been almost disappearing in the long civil war. And the traditions were revived by the hands of the experienced elderly women who slightly kept the memories. This is a festival to celebrate Cambodia's long history of silk textiles.

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| Chinese New Year Festival

| January or February

| Chinese New Year, or Spring Festival, has been broadly celebrated in Cambodia thanks to the country's respect for cultural diversity and close relationship between the peoples of the two countries. It is often celebrated by Cambodian citizens regardless of ethnic background as it if commonly believed that the festival brings luck. Lion dance or "Mong Say" as referred by the locals is often seen throughout the country and many businesses close down as family go home to spend time with their families.

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| Hei Neak Ta

| January or February

| Known as the Hei Neak Ta, or Spirit Parade, the festival is held each year to mark the official end of the Chinese New Year celebrations in a uniquely Khmer manner. While the holiday is known as the Lantern festival in other parts of Asia, and is celebrated solely on the 15th day of the lunar calendar, festivities in Cambodia can go on for three to four days and often feature elaborate parades with a wide range of spirit mediums.

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| Mid Autumn Festival

| September or October

| More commonly called "Full Moon Festival" by locals (as Cambodia does not have an Autumn season). Cambodians organize "the traditional festival of prostrating the moon". In that early morning, people start preparing sacrifices to worship the Moon, including fresh flowers, cassava soup, flat rice, and sugar cane juice. At night, people put the sacrifices into a tray, place on a big mat, and sit at ease waiting for the Moon. When the Moon rises up over the top of a branch, everyone whole-heartedly worships the Moon, implores blessings.

After the ritual of worshipping the Moon, the old take flat rice to put into the mouths of children until they are entirely full in order to pray for perfection, and good things. Although this is a Chinese festival, many Cambodians celebrate this festival as it is believed that exchanging moon cake during this time is thought to bring luck and prosperity. Among Cambodians, this holiday is associated with Khmer beliefs of "Praying to the Moon" and the Buddhist legend of the rabbit.

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| Qingming Festival

| April

| The Qingming Festival, also known as Tomb Sweeping Day (or "Chheng Meng among the Khmer locals), is a Chinese festival when people bring food and drinks to the graves of their ancestors. In Cambodia, this festival is largely associated with Pchum Ben Festival and is mainly a chance for people to pray for happiness, success and promotion.

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| Siem Reap Puppet Parade

| February

| A festival celebrated in Siem Reap that commemorates the artistic ability of the locals in the area. It shows a large display of giant puppets as well as showcasing traditional shadow puppet plays. It first began in 2007 and has since then gained widespread popularity.

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References

  • Public Holiday Calendar for Civil Servant and Worker for 2017, Royal Government of Cambodia
  • 2016 Public Holidays, Cambodian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation
  • Public Holidays for 2015, Cambodian Embassy in Australia