Khmer New Year is the traditional religious festival and national holiday in Cambodia. The three days celebration, Khmer New year starts in mid April based on the ancient horoscope “Maha Sangkran”. This festival marks the end of the harvest season when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor and relax before the start of the rainy season.
The first day of Khmer New Year is called “Maha Sangkran”, Sangkran means movement and refers to that the sun is moving into a new Zodiac sign and Maha means great.
In the morning the Cambodians will go to the temple and offer food to the monks and receive blessings. Elderly people like to meditate or pray the Dharma because they believe that any spirit that comes to their home will stay with them throughout the whole year and take care of their family.
The second day is called “Wanabot” and it is the day that they offer gifts to parents, grandparents and elders. In the evening of this day many Cambodians will go to the temple and build a mountain of sand to remember their ancestors who have passed away and have the monks give them blessings of happiness and peace.
The third day is called “Leung Sakk” and this is starting day of the New Year. In the morning the Cambodians go to the temple and perform a ceremony where the mountain of sand gets blessed. The last ceremony is called “Pithi Srang Preah” to honor and to give a special cleansing to Buddha Statues, the monks, elders, grandparents and parents. During this ceremony the participators apologize for any mistakes they have made during the last year.