Some work must be done on holidays for the good of society (e.g., selling food, delivering ice, etc.), but other people were at work because they needed the money to survive.
All the schools and banks and most of the companies with a lot of staff were closed all three days of the Water Festival.Smaller “mom and pop” shops (as they are known in the United States), shops where the owners live in the store, were more likely to be open. The owners didn’t have anything else to do and they just might pick up a few customers.And then there are those with the pop-up sales along the streets. They may have a regular job and were just making a few extra riel during the holidays, or this might be the sole source of income.And then there are those like this lady who are out every day, rain or shine, weekend or not, holiday or work day because they live day to day. If they don’t work, they don’t eat. There are no savings to fall back on.
