Cambodian Cultureវប្បធម៌ខ្មែរ

Discover Cambodia’s festivals, history, religion, arts, food and etiquette, and experience the charm of Khmer culture.

Detail of a Khmer pidan silk with temple, elephant and figure motifs

Six themes

Festivalsបុណ្យThe Water Festival and Pchum Ben follow the Khmer lunar calendar, so their dates move every year; Cambodia has 22 public holidays in 2026.Read 1 article Boat racing on the Tonlé Sap, Phnom Penh Historyប្រវត្តិសាស្ត្រAngkor Wat was commissioned by King Suryavarman II; Zhou Daguan reached Angkor in 1296 and wrote A Record of Cambodia.Read 1 article Churning of the Sea of Milk, east gallery, Angkor Wat ReligionសាសនាAbout 93% of Cambodians are Buddhist and Buddhism is the state religion; many also honour Neak Ta, guardian spirits of a place.Read 1 article A monk on the morning alms round Artsសិល្បៈSeven Cambodian elements are on UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage lists, including the Royal Ballet and Sbek Thom shadow theatre.Read 1 article Khmer classical dance Foodម្ហូបRice is eaten at almost every meal and Cambodia has some 2,000 native rice varieties; the fermented fish paste prahok seasons nearly every Khmer dish.Read 1 article Fish amok served in a banana-leaf cup
Etiquetteសុជីវធម៌The sampeah, palms pressed together, is still the traditional greeting; the higher the hands and the lower the bow, the greater the respect.Detail of Khmer hol silk

Festival calendar

Most Cambodian festivals follow the Khmer lunar calendar, so their dates move every year. Dates below follow the government’s public holiday sub-decrees.

Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
  • 14–16 April
    Khmer New Yearចូលឆ្នាំថ្មី

    Three public holidays under Sub-decree 167. The Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts calls 2026 the Year of the Horse, Buddhist Era 2570.

  • 1 May
    Visak Bochea (Buddha’⁠s birth)វិសាខបូជា

    In 2026 it falls on the same day as International Labour Day.

  • 5 May
    Royal Ploughing Ceremonyព្រះរាជពិធីច្រត់ព្រះនង្គ័ល

    Held on the fourth day of the waning moon in the sixth Khmer lunar month; one public holiday.

  • 10–12 October
    Pchum Benភ្ជុំបិណ្ឌ

    A 15-day observance whose last three days are public holidays, held at the end of the Buddhist rains retreat; families bring food to the pagoda before dawn.

  • 9 November
    Independence Dayទិវាឯករាជ្យជាតិ

    Marks independence from France on 9 November 1953.

  • 23–25 November
    Water Festival (Bon Om Touk)បុណ្យអុំទូក

    Held around the full moon. In 2026 the main celebration in front of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh is suspended; the three public holidays remain and provinces may hold their own events.

A thread through history

Years from Angkor to independence that still leave visible traces today.

  1. 1113–c. 1150

    Reign of King Suryavarman II, who commissioned Angkor Wat as a state temple to Vishnu; it later became a Buddhist temple.

  2. 1296–1297

    Zhou Daguan of the Yuan court stays about a year at Angkor and later writes A Record of Cambodia, describing its markets, calendar and festivals.

  3. c. 1434

    After the fall of Angkor, King Ponhea Yat moves the capital to Phnom Penh, “the city of four faces” (sources differ; some give 1432).

  4. 1863

    France begins its control of Cambodia; Angkor Wat already appears on the first national flag that year.

  5. 1953

    Independence from France on 9 November, the origin of today’s Independence Day.

  6. 1992

    The Angkor site is inscribed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List.

Latest articles

Svay Rieng and Bavet

Manhattan Special Economic Zone is in Bavet City, Svay Rieng Province, about 6 km from the Bavet–Moc Bai international checkpoint.

  • Land of mangoes

    Svay means “mango” in Khmer, and many villages, communes and pagodas in the province carry the word.

  • 2,966 km²

    The area of Svay Rieng Province; the 2019 census counted 525,497 people, about 99.8% of them Buddhist.

  • A city since 2008

    Bavet was upgraded from commune to city in 2008 and is now the province’s largest city, with 43,783 people in the 2019 census.

  • Border gateway

    Across the Bavet checkpoint lies Moc Bai in Vietnam’s Tay Ninh Province, one of the busiest crossings between the two countries.

Aerial view of Manhattan Special Economic Zone
Aerial view of Manhattan Special Economic Zone
About Manhattan SEZ
Scroll to Top