DPA
Phnom Penh - Cambodia's King Norodom Sihamoni declared the annual Water Festival open Friday before hundreds of thousands of Cambodians who have traveled to the capital to see three days of colourful traditional boat racing. After the king released ceremonial doves and viewed heats of the three days of races, fireworks lit up the sky to mark the beginning of one of the agriculturally dependent nation's most important festivals, which marks the end of wet season.
However, climate change has wreaked havoc on the festival, with unseasonal rains marring the celebrations several times in past years and fallout from a powerful typhoon currently slamming the coast of neighbouring Vietnam expected to again pose problems for racers this year.
Thousands of police have been deployed to maintain order as visitors crowd the capital's river front to catch a glimpse of the delicate and precariously balanced traditional wooden boats.
Organizers said hundreds of the brightly painted vessels from every province in the country and several neighbouring nations including Laos and Vietnam are expected to race this year for prize money and the chance of receiving personal congratulations from the king.
However, climate change has wreaked havoc on the festival, with unseasonal rains marring the celebrations several times in past years and fallout from a powerful typhoon currently slamming the coast of neighbouring Vietnam expected to again pose problems for racers this year.
Thousands of police have been deployed to maintain order as visitors crowd the capital's river front to catch a glimpse of the delicate and precariously balanced traditional wooden boats.
Organizers said hundreds of the brightly painted vessels from every province in the country and several neighbouring nations including Laos and Vietnam are expected to race this year for prize money and the chance of receiving personal congratulations from the king.
2 comments:
Due to global warming that extends the rainy season, festival should be moved to first week of Dcember.
Why not move it all the way up to Xmast? That way we can kill two birds with one stone.
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