**Moha Sangkranta Khmer** 🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭 is a central part of the **Khmer New Year (Choul Chnam Thmey)** celebrations in Cambodia, marking the traditional solar new year with deep cultural, religious, and communal significance. Here’s a detailed overview:---### **Key Aspects of Moha Sangkranta Khmer**1. **Timing and Significance** - Celebrated annually from **April 13–16** (in 2025, it falls on **April 14–16**), coinciding with the end of the harvest season and the transition from the dry to rainy season . - The first day, **Moha Sangkran**, symbolizes the end of the old year and the beginning of the new. Rituals include lighting candles, offering prayers at shrines, and washing with holy water for luck . 2. **Cultural and Religious Traditions** - **Day 1 (Moha Sangkran)**: Families clean homes, build sand stupas at pagodas (representing Buddhist cosmology), and offer food to monks . - **Day 2 (Vanabat)**: Focuses on charity, honoring elders, and ancestral ceremonies . - **Day 3 (Leung Sakk)**: Buddha statues and elders are bathed with perfumed water to cleanse bad luck and invite blessings . 3. **Festive Activities** - **Traditional Games**: *Chol Chhoung* (tossed scarf game), *Leak Kanseng* (hidden towel game), and *Bos Angkunh* (seed-throwing) are played nationwide . - **Water Splashing**: Symbolizes purification and renewal, with lively public celebrations in cities like Siem Reap and Phnom Penh . - **Performances**: Apsara dances, drum music, and Reamker (Khmer epic) performances are highlights . 4. **Major Events** - **Angkor Sankranta**: The largest festival in Siem Reap, held near Angkor Wat, features cultural villages, boat parades, lantern ceremonies, and drone light shows . - **Wat Phnom Sangkranti**: Phnom Penh’s counterpart includes folk games, Buddha statue parades, and concerts . 5. **UNESCO Recognition Efforts** - Cambodia is actively documenting Moha Sangkranta for UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage List in 2026, emphasizing its unique blend of rituals, games, and community unity . ---### **Historical Roots** - The term *Sangkranta* derives from Sanskrit *Sankranti* (solar transition), with inscriptions dating back to the 10th-century Khmer Empire . - Chinese diplomat Zhao Daguan recorded 14-day New Year festivities in Angkor Thom during the 13th century, featuring lanterns and fireworks . ---### **Tips for Visitors (2025)** - **Locations**: Siem Reap (Angkor Sankranta) and Phnom Penh are top destinations . - **Prepare for crowds**: Book accommodations early and join water-splashing zones (keep electronics protected!) . Moha Sangkranta is a vibrant testament to Cambodia’s heritage, blending ancient rituals with modern joy. For detailed schedules, check official sources closer to the event dates .#####Moha Sangkranta 🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭(or Maha Sangkranta) is the Cambodian New Year festival, also known as Chaul Chnam Thmey (ជួលឆ្នាំថ្មី). It is celebrated over three days in mid-April, typically from April 13 to 16, marking the traditional solar new year based on the Buddhist calendar.The festival consists of three main days: 1. Moha Sangkranta (មហាសង្រ្កាន្ត) – The first day of the new year when a new heavenly god (Angkor Devata) is believed to take charge of the world. People prepare offerings and clean their homes to welcome good fortune. 2. Veareak Vanabat (វារៈវ័នបត) – The second day, dedicated to acts of charity and remembrance of ancestors. Families visit pagodas to make offerings. 3. Veareak Laeung Sak (វារៈឡើងស័ក) – The third day, where Buddha statues and elders’ hands are washed with scented water as a blessing ritual.During the Khmer New Year, Cambodians celebrate with traditional games, dances, and cultural performances. The biggest celebrations take place in cities like Phnom Penh and Siem Reap, particularly at temples and historical sites such as Angkor Wat.Would you like more details on any part of the celebration.##Cambodia🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭🇰🇭
