Guides
These articles explain how to read the Khmer calendar and what major holidays mean, not just a list of dates.
How the Khmer lunar calendar works
Original explainer from Khmer Calendar editorial: how lunar months of 29–30 days, the leap month, Sak eras, and Buddhist Era dates map to the Gregorian calendar — with examples from this site's engine.
How to read today's Khmer date
Original guide: how to read a Khmer lunar date — weekday, waxing/waning day, lunar month, animal year, Sak era, and Buddhist Era — with written and numeric formats used on khmer-calendar.com.
Public holidays in Cambodia
Planning leave or a trip in Cambodia for 2026? This roundup gathers the gazetted public holidays alongside the major cultural festivals people actually observe. The traditional Khmer count, Chântôkôtĕ (ចន្ទគតិ), tracks moon phases yet stays locked to the sun so the seasons stay put. That is why several Buddhist dates drift on the Gregorian calendar — check the official circular before booking travel.
Cambodian New Year
Khmer New Year, known as Choul Chnam Thmey or Moha Sangkran, is Cambodia's largest annual festival. It runs for three public-holiday days around 14 to 16 April, closing the dry-season harvest and opening a new solar year with pagoda visits, family gatherings, merit-making for ancestors, and neighborhood games. Use this guide to follow each day's meaning and plan temple trips without the crowds.
Pchum Ben
Pchum Ben is Cambodia’s 15-day festival of the dead, ending on the 15th day of the tenth lunar month (September/October). Families rise before dawn to offer food at pagodas and honour ancestors reaching back seven generations; the final three days are public holidays.
Bon Om Touk
Bon Om Touk, the Water and Moon Festival, is Cambodia’s three-day boat-racing festival on the full moon of late October or November. Crews from every province race long boats in Phnom Penh as the Tonle Sap reverses course, with lantern floats and fireworks after dark.
Buddhist holy days (Thngai Sil)
Original guide: what Thngai Sil holy days are, how the 8/15 waxing and waning observances work in Cambodia, and how to find them on this calendar.
Royal Ploughing Ceremony
The Royal Ploughing Ceremony opens Cambodia’s rice-growing season each May at Veerapreah Men field in Phnom Penh. Led by the King or a royal representative, sacred oxen plough a furrow and choose among offerings, forecasting the harvest of the year ahead.
Frequently asked questions
Which guide should I read first?
New to the Khmer lunar calendar? Start with how the lunar calendar works, then how to read a Khmer date. For time off, read the public holidays guide.
How do these guides help plan festivals?
Each guide explains the meaning, dates, and customs of major festivals — New Year, Pchum Ben, Water Festival — so you know which day to visit the pagoda and what to prepare.
Are the dates in the guides official?
Lunar dates come from our Khmer calendar engine; civil closures can change by government notice — confirm against the official circular before traveling.