Cambodian New Year or Chaul Chnam Thmey in the Khmer language,. The holiday lasts for three days beginning on New Year's Day, which usually falls on April 13 or 14th, which is the end of the harvesting season, when farmers enjoy the fruits of their labor before the rainy season begins.
Cambodians also use Buddhist Era to count the year based on the Buddhist calendar. For 2012, it is 2556 BE (Buddhist Era). People dress up and light candles and burn incense sticks at shrines, where the members of each family pay homage to offer thanks for the Buddha's teachings by bowing, kneeling and prostrating themselves three times before his image. For good luck people wash their face with holy water in the morning, their chests at noon, and their feet in the evening before they go to bed. People contribute charity to the less fortunate by helping the poor, servants, homeless, and low-income families.