Oarsmen take part in the boat race in the Tonle Sap river during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

"This water festival is very good to preserve our old tradition, and to tell our younger generations that in ancient times, boats were used as a means of transport for the fight in wars and for waterway travel," said Yan Chanthavy, a 20-year-old spectator from southern Takeo province.

Cambodia celebrated the annual three-day Water Festival here on Sunday, reviving the more than 800-year-old tradition of boat races in the Southeast Asian country.

The kingdom's grandest festival returned after a three-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Tens of thousands of spectators gathered on both sides of the Tonle Sap river in the capital Phnom Penh to cheer on oarsmen who raced their boats along a 1.7 km stretch of the river.

Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni symbolically turns on the light of illuminated floats during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

King Norodom Sihamoni, along with Prime Minister Hun Manet and other national leaders as well as foreign diplomats, watched boat racing from a stage erected on the riverbank in front of the royal palace.

Lay Sotheara, a 32-year-old boatman from southeastern Tboung Khmum province, said he was thrilled to participate in the festival, saying that his boat has 75 rowers.

"This is to help preserve a legacy left by our ancestors," he said.

Oarsmen take part in the boat race in the Tonle Sap river during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Yan Chanthavy, a 20-year-old spectator from southern Takeo province, said she has never lost her excitement in watching boat racing although she has seen it a few times.

"I come to watch this boat race with my three siblings, and it's my third time to watch it," she told Xinhua.

Chanthavy, who is also a university student, said the water festival is to thank ancestors who won the fight with enemies and to thank rivers that have provided water for people, animals and plants.

"This water festival is very good to preserve our old tradition, and to tell our younger generations that in ancient times, boats were used as a means of transport for the fight in wars and for waterway travel," she added.

Oarsmen take part in the boat race in the Tonle Sap river during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

Seth Sreyne, an 18-year-old viewer, said it is her first time to watch the boat race, expressing her enthusiasm to see huge crowds of people.

"It helps promote our country and culture to foreign visitors," she told Xinhua. "I wish to see more tourists coming to Cambodia because our country enjoys full peace, with good security and safety."

Bou Chumserey, vice-chairman of the boat-racing technical control committee, said some 337 boats with 20,417 oarsmen from different provinces are taking part in the three-day regatta, which will last until Tuesday next week.

During the reign of Angkorian King Jayavarman VII, the king had used naval forces, with boats as a means of transport, to fight against the Chams and defeated them in 1181, he said.

Oarsmen take part in the boat race in the Tonle Sap river during the Water Festival in Phnom Penh, Cambodia, Nov. 26, 2023. (Photo by Sovannara/Xinhua)

According to the official, the festival is also to mark the end of the annual rainy season and the unique reversal flow of the Tonle Sap river that connects the Tonle Sap lake with the Mekong River.

"It is to show our gratitude to the Mekong River for providing us with all-season water, fertile land and abundant fish," he said.

At the event, besides viewing the regatta during the daytime, festival-goers can enjoy the procession of illuminated floats and fireworks as well as concerts at nighttime.

With its long history, the water festival is also a special occasion for rural people to visit the capital city and to bring back home with sweet memories.