Preparing for New Year

April, 2011

The Khmer New Year in 2011 is April 14-16 and all the preparations have been in full swing especially the first part of this week.  Government people started their vacation last week--and will continue through next week!—while the ordinary people looked forward to Thursday, New Year's Day, and started getting everything ready for the holiday.

 

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Setting up flags

 The morning of new year's eve, a municipality truck went along the major thoroughfares with a crew setting Cambodian national flags along the curb.
Government building new year sign

 All government buildings have some sort of decorations up for the holiday.  This is a government printing house.
Royal palace reviewing stand

 The royal palace has a reviewing stand along the street, overlooking the waterfront of the Tonle Sap and Mekong Rivers.  Their new year decoration acknowledges that this is the Year of the Rabbit according to the Chinese zodiac.
Leaving for the provinces

 Probably the majority of people in Phnom Penh come from the provinces, and the majority of them try to get back there for the holidays.  Drivers of crowded vans like this jack up their prices and drive like idiots to make as many trips a day as possible.
Traffic leaving town

 The majority of the city streets are more deserted than usual, but the intersections along the river where the northbound highways converge, are jammed with traffic trying to go both ways in all lanes at the same time. 
Family waiting for a ride

 This little girl, all dolled up in a new dress for the holiday, waits for a ride with her family.
Church new year sign

 At the Catholic church compound, a new year banner waits for workmen to hang it where it is visible from the road.
Flowers ready for decorating

 These are flowers at the house where I live.  The landlady has been out early to get her choice of colorful flowers for decorating for new year's.
Selling flowers

 All the markets have extra vendors these days, selling the proper flowers and plants for the new year.  Just like Western countries designate pointsettias as a Christmas flower, Khmer culture has its own array of flowers that are required for this festival.

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