Three major ceremonies – Bandaet Pratip, Sampeah Preah Khae, Ak Ambok – are held during Cambodian Water Festival.
Bandaet Pratip is a fluvial festival in which many illuminated boats are floated to the water lighting the river. Each boat usually represents a government ministry or institution. Bandaet Pratip starts at about 7 in the evening.
Sampeah Preah Khae is a ceremony to salute the moon in the hope that Cambodian people will get a good harvest for the following year. For the Cambodians, full moon represents a good sign for their harvest throughout next year. After this ceremony, people flock to pagoda for Ak Ambok.
Ak Ambok is a tradition to eat ambok – rice fried in the husk, pounded with a giant hassle to remove the husks, and mixed with coconut and banana – at midnight in a pagoda. Ambok becomes one of some popular dishes sold during Cambodian Water Festival.