Angkor Wat equinox: Cosmic convergence draws record crowds
Published on: Saturday, March 23, 2024
By:
The Phnom Penh Post, ANN
The equinox is a biannual event where the plane of Earth's equator passes through the centre of the sun, resulting in a day and night of approximately equal length. – PPP
PHNOM PENH: The first of this year’s equinox events at Angkor Wat Temple saw an unprecedented surge in attendance, with record-breaking visitor numbers exceeding 10,000 on both March 21 and 22, showcasing the site’s global allure.
Long Kosal, spokesman for the Apsara National Authority, said the early-morning events attracted numerous national and international guests. “On the first day, we recorded over 10,000 attendees, and on the 22nd, the number surged close to 12,000. Today, we’ve seen more than 2,600 foreign guests,” he told The Post.
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In the pre-dawn hours of March 22, a diverse crowd of international tourists congregated at the historic gates of Spean Hal, eagerly awaiting the 5am opening, as they prepared to witness the celestial spectacle of the equinox at Angkor Wat.
As the gates parted, a procession of visitors, including enthusiastic shutterbugs and seasoned travelers, advanced along the ancient walkway of the temple, enlivened by the anticipation of observing the sun rise perfectly aligned with the temple’s central tower – a twice-yearly occurrence that transforms the site into a stage for an ethereal performance by the sun.
With the first light of dawn, the silhouetted spires of Angkor Wat became a focal point for a multitude of cameras, as visitors from every corner of the globe sought to capture the moment when day and night find equilibrium.
The atmosphere brimmed with a sense of unity, as individuals of various backgrounds shared the common goal of memorialising the unique experience.
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The buzz of whispered languages intertwined as the horizon began to blush with the hues of sunrise, creating a collage of human expression framed against the backdrop of one of humanity’s most enduring monuments.
A tourist from Italy, visiting Cambodia for the first time with three of his family members, who gave his name as Mark, expressed his surprise at the large crowd gathering to watch the sunrise at the temple.
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Mark took a selfie with his brother and told The Post, “It’s a bit crowded, but I like it. It’s really nice, almost like a concert. It’s a pleasant sensation.”
The Italian tourists are spending seven days in Cambodia, visiting Siem Reap and Phnom Penh. They explained that they had specifically come to watch the 5.40am sunrise. Joost Jansen from the Netherlands expressed his excitement to an English-speaking tour guide, after witnessing the Equinox on March 21.
“It was truly amazing, and it was a very beautiful experience to enjoy the view,” he says. Thim Sereyvuth, acting director of the Siem Reap provincial department of tourism, said on March 21 that Siem Reap Angkor International Airport had seen a significant influx of tourists.
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