Going where the locals do for Khmer New Year

Rounding the corner onto Siem Reap's notorious Pub Street we were met by a bizarre and incredible sight. In the midst of the multiple bars and neon lights pulsing blearily in time to the pumping music, a mass of silhouetted bodies moved in a huge cloud of white powder. It was Monday the 12th of April in Cambodia and the night before the beginning of the three day celebration for Khmer New Year. At this time it is tradition to partake in mighty talcum powder and water fights of which Pub Street arguably boasts the most epic. After much research (and dancing) I concluded that the most common technique is generally to grab a strangers face in the grooving crowd, smother it completely in a layer of white and yell triumphantly Happy New Year!.

After the third morning waking up with the softest skin I have ever had post night out, I felt a pressing desire to experience another dimension to the celebrations. On pub Street I had met dozens of young Cambodians enjoying the electric party atmosphere just like myself, but I wanted to know: What did the New Year hold for others? And what better way to do this than to go where the locals go. Ironically this turned out to be the iconic sight of Angkor Wat. Normally over-run by tourists, at New Year the sight around the mighty temple belongs to the Cambodian people as thousands of locals descend upon the tranquil grounds to eat, drink, play traditional Khmer games and enjoy the company of their loved ones.

Sure enough the park was filled with families picnicking and children playing. The delicious smells of buttery corn and barbequed meat floated from an abundance of food stalls and all along the banks of the large ponds teenagers from the Union of Youth Federation played games and every so often broke into dance as Khmer pop music blared from enormous speakers. As we wandered around the banks of the pond every group of smiling youths in their colourful, scout-like uniforms invited us to play their games. Suddenly I found myself thrown back to primary school 'sports day' races (with a Khmer twist) as I ran with intense concentration trying to balance a huge ceramic pot full of water on my head.

As we left the grounds in the warm haziness of late afternoon, I felt a rush of satisfaction that I'd experienced the dimension of the Khmer New Year I'd been searching for, one of warm and wholesome celebration with friends, family and foreigners alike and all in the beautiful backdrop of the mighty towers of Angkor Wat.