| Preparations |
The Khmer New Year is the biggest holiday of the Cambodian calendar. It always begins on April 13th or 14th (following a lunar cycle) and is celebrated for three days. This is a festival to celebrate with family so Phnom Penh empties out as the residents return to their home villages.
Maha Songkran is the name given to the first day of the new year celebration. It marks the ending of the old year and the beginning of a new one. People dress up and light candles and burn incense sticks at shrines. The members of each family pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha's teachings by bowing and kneeling three times before his image. For good luck people wash their face with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed. [Adapted from Wikipedia] |
| The families "in the big city" with some money get the kids together, pack up some gifts for family in the village, and then head out in their SUVs, the most common vehicle in Cambodia, especially for those going out of Phnom Penh. |
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| If it is too far to travel by motorcycle, a common means of transport to the provinces are the overloaded pickup trucks, the cheapest mode of mass transportation—and the most dangerous. |
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| At a slightly higher price than the pickup truck—because the people, at least some of them, are inside—an overloaded van will get you out of the city. |
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| Even the squatters occupying the edge of the street by the deaf office (tall building on right) have closed their doors and headed for the countryside. |
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| For those staying behind in Phnom Penh, the government puts out thousands of Cambodian flags along the streets. |
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| Durians are in season so they can be a special gift when visiting rural family. |
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| A little more upscale are the fruit baskets widely available—at a much greater price. |
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| At the low end of the gift scale—or just for yourself—watermelons are available very cheaply. |
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