History of Water Festival of Cambodia

Bonn Om Teuk lasts three days so that boats from near and far provinces can join the contest. During the festival, Cambodians from across the country gather in Phnom Penh, the capital, to attend and celebrate this festival. The Water Festival has a long history dating from the Angkor era in the 12th century, under the reign of King Preah Bat Jayvarman VII, when the Khmer Empire occupied and ruled most of the Indochinese Peninsula. The King battled with enemies to defend the Empire as well as to expand the territory. With a very powerful naval force, the King had defeated his enemies at each battle.