Beyond the Ministries’ Representations

The Meaning and History behind the Illuminated float of the Water Festival

Rinith Taing

Around 7 in the evening on November, 4th 2017, tens of thousands of people, mostly from the
countryside, gathered on the Riverside in Phnom Penh. Just like the previous years, they had
come to the capital to watch the boat race, which is held annually to celebrate the Water Festival,
as well as to give support to the boats from their hometowns. Although the last laps of the races
were already finished a few hours ago, the people were still there, in the gentle breeze from the
great Mekong River, waiting for the most exciting event of the evening, Bandaet Pratip.

Slowly, decorated boats illuminated with neon lights in various colours, patterns, shapes and
sizes, took to the water. Known as pratip, every float represents the perspectives, achievements
and goals of the government body that created it. For example, the pratip from the Ministry of
Defence comprises the image of Hanuman, the monkey god in Hinduism and an important
character in the Ramayana, carrying the logo and the name of the ministry while standing on
two, intertwined mythical Nagas. According to a commentator from TVK, which broadcasts the
event live every year, the design implied the Ministry of Defence’s commitment to protect the
country and the nation “from all kinds of invasion and insecurity”.

Pratips floating on the Tonle Sap Lake for hours and the fireworks that brighten up the sky with
colourful effects create a stunning night view, which can only be seen once a year. To many
foreign travellers, not coming to see it while they are in Cambodia during the festival season is a
great loss.

However, most travelling websites and blogs which have been publishing on the Water Festival,
do not say much about Bandaet Pratip. They usually just describe it as “the most appealing” to
tourists and “dating back to Angkorian period”. That is probably because not much has been
recorded about it.

Now, as this year’s Water Festival is approaching, we believe there is no better time to
investigate the history and meaning behind this illuminated tradition.

Origin and Meaning

Just a week before the Water Festival 2018, a group of 11 men are building 14 pratips on the
body of water that surrounds Chroy Changvar peninsula. They received the designs from the
governments around 2 weeks ago, and now are almost finished with the project.

Yet, many people cannot wait until the festival and thus have come to the site to get the first look
of the beautiful floats, which will be showcased on their favourite festival. Among them is Dr.
Chen Chanratana, a Cambodian historian and the head of Khmer Heritage Foundation, who since
his childhood has admired and considered Pratip a “very special national identity”.

Chenratana says Bandaet Pratip was held to pay respect of the Goddess of Earth and the Goddess
of Water. Meanwhile he agrees that the tradition dates back to the Angkorian Empire (802-
1431), particularly the reign of King Jayavaraman VII, who celebrated the first Water Festival to
honour his naval force’s victory over his Cham rivals.

“A Cambodian’s life is strongly connected to earth and water, and almost all festivals in
Cambodia are connected to those goddesses” Chenratana says. “The use of light on Pratip could
have been resulted from the intention of the King to create a magnificent view for his people to
enjoy.”

However, Dr. Michel Tranet, the country’s prominent historian and anthropologist dismissed
Chenratana’s statement, arguing that there is no evidence or document suggesting that the
pratips, in form of illuminated boats which is used today, were used in the Water Festival during
the ancient time.

The original pratip, Tranet claims, is a small lotus-shaped float with a candle in a centre, which
the ordinary people float on the river at the beginning of the harvesting season. Tranet adds this
kind of pratip is a form that really dates back to the Angkorian Empire, based on some recorded
documents by some foreign historians, and led to the creation of today’s illuminated boat. He
also believes that their purposes are the same, simply to pray for a good crop yields and luck.

“Based on my analysis, the big pratip as we see today may have been displayed for the first time
during the Water Festival just when King Ponhea Yat moved the capital from Angkor to
Chaktomok, which is today a part of Phnom Penh, in 1431,” Tranet says

“The pratip which represents a government institution is even more modern, probably from the
French protectorate period, when the French administration departmentised the country’s
government.”

Meanwhile, the Collection of Khmer Legends, published in 1974 by the Royal Academy of
Cambodia, relates the small lotus-shaped pratip to a Buddhist legend about the one of the lives of
the five Buddhas. In the story, the five Buddha are five men born from a pair of white crows,
from whom they were separated when they were still the eggs due to a storm. Soon after the loss,
the two crows died from broken heart and incarnated in Indra, the King of Gods, and later told
their five sons to pay respect to them by floating the immolated objects on the water. Although
this is a strange story, it implies that pratip is an influence of Buddhism. Some other records say
that Bandaet Pratip is held in dedication to Buddha himself.

Influences on Regional Cultures?

While Cambodia is preparing for the Water Festival, which falls on November 21 this year, the
Thai people is getting ready for the Loy Krathong festival, also one of the biggest holiday in
Thailand, which will be held on November 22.

During Loy Krathong festival, the Thai people launch krathong, a small container very similar to
the small pratip made by the Cambodian, on a river, canal or pond while making a wish and
praying to Goddess of Water, the Hindu Goddess Ganga, Phra Mae Khongkha. Government
offices, corporations, and other organizations launch large decorated krathongs. There are
competitions for the best of these large krathongs. A beauty contest is a regular feature and
fireworks have become common in recent years.

Although there are many written accounts about the history and meaning of Loy Krathong in
Thailand, both Chen Chanratana and Michel Tranet speculate that this festival is an adaptation of
Cambodia’s Water Festival.

“The Country of Siam, which is today Thailand, were just created in the 12th century, and its
culture is strongly influenced by the Cambodian culture,” Chanratana says. “Loy Krathong is
obviously an adaptation of Bandaet Bratip.”

“The two festivals are very similar, so are pratip and Krathong,” Tranet says. “Maybe in the past,
both nations celebrated the only one festival but as time went by; they have modified it and come
up with their own form.”