On Friday April 5, 2024, the Staff Representatives and Human Resources Department of the Institut Pasteur du Cambodge (IPC) organized a party for all employees to mark Khmer New Year, the most important holiday of the year for all Cambodians, when everything is closed for at least three days. This celebration marks the end of the dry season and the traditional harvest season.

Over 280 people attended the event, held at the IPC, offering everyone a unique opportunity to share a convivial and festive moment. A variety of activities also contributed to the evening’s success, including a live band, a lucky draw and a dancing game.

Professor André Spiegel, Director of the IPC, and Dr Ly Sowath, Deputy Director of the IPC, took the floor at the beginning of the evening to express their gratitude to the employees and to wish all the guests a very happy Khmer New Year.

Earlier in the afternoon, a traditional ceremony attended by Buddhist monks was also held at the IPC. The monks recited blessings with a view to passing on merits to ancestors, relatives and friends.