Vice Chairman of the provincial People’s Committee Ngo Hung, who is also deputy head of the organizing board, said the festival is held annually to preserve the traditional cultural values of the Khmer ethnic people and promote the image of Soc Trang and its people to domestic and foreign visitors.

Ooc Om Bok will feature a re-enactment of a moon worshipping ritual, a water lantern festival, a show of traditional Khmer costumes, and a street food festival. The highlight of the event will be a Khmer long boat race on November 10 and 11. The Khmer ethnic people view the race as both a game and a way to express solidarity, as well as a traditional ritual to bid farewell to the God of Water after the harvest season.

The Ok Om Bok festival takes place under the full moon in the 10th lunar month, when the rainy season ends and the dry season starts, meaning its harvest time.