Happy New-Year!
(sorry for anybody who knows Khmer langage, my transcription must be so phonetic and out of the way...)

What do you mean it's the third time I am wishing you a happy new-year?
After the european one, then the chineese one (in Kuala Lumpur with Anabel)...now this is the Khmer New Year that I which be prosperous to all of you...

There is actually 2 currents of Budhism, the Mahayana (or great vehicule) which is followed by China and Vietnam (mainly) and had their new year in february and the Theravada Budishm (little vehicule or way of the ancients), which is followed in Thailande, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Laos.
Those countries celebrate the new year in april. The main celebration is about splashing everybody with water (some say to call the rainy season, others say to purify themselves), and spraying people with ashes or talc powder...
We have been safe from talc powder, as the cambodian dare not empowder us...but we got splashed quite a few times!!!
Young people run everywhere, all white and soaked...they also play games in groups involving a lot of running, laughing and enabling them to flirt...
But what is any new year celebration around the world about???

The other thing which is quite nice is all the little altars that they put up for the gods, on the balconies, in the shops or in the street in front of their houses. Those are colorful affairs with fruits, dishes of rice and other food, sweets and candles, encense and a lot of little lights.
It really look like a traditional Xmas tree is Europe!

This is all for now...soon, there will be more about Cambodia day to day life...