Millions of people travel from the provinces to Phnom Penh so they can participate and watch the boat racing. Teams from every province and many villages compete against each other in canoe style boats that they make themselves and decorate to represent their homeland. During the first two days the boats race in pairs but on the third day all the boats join together for a mass race. The festival and the boat racing is all done in order to pay respect to the river god who in turn will provide the country with a plentiful bounty of fish and rice for the rest of the year.