Tag Archives: Vietnam Festivals

Sep 20

Ook om bok Festival

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Ook om bok Festival

Place: Soc Trang (Sóc Trăng) Province, Vietnam

Time: 15th of the 10th lunar month.

Characteristics: a festival to thank the Moon.

Ook Om Bok Festival in Vietnam is a religious ceremony when the moon god of Khmer minority group is worshipped in Soc Trang Province of South Vietnam. One of the most prominent of the festivals of Vietnam, it falls in October as per the Gregorian calendar and on December 15th of the Buddhist calendar.

Ook Om Bok Festival, Vietnam is celebrated to thank the moon god for bringing good crops, abundant fish in the river and maintain the health of all the villagers. The moon deity is offered prayers to shower her blessings upon the villagers and lead them to prosperity.

As the full moon appears on the night of the Ook Om Bok Festival in Vietnam, people deposit trays of offerings in the pagoda yard or in their homes. The offering includes green rice flakes, ripe bananas, fresh peeled coconuts, mangoes and other items. At the end of the ceremony, the children of the house sit on the ground and clap their hands while they are fed a hand full of green rice flakes by the elders.

The most colorful event of the Ook Om Bok Festival is the flying of paper lanterns and placing banana tree ferries attached with lights in the river. This is believed to sweep away the darkness and humidity of the rainy season.

Like all other Vietnam festivals & events Ook Om Bok Festival, Vietnam is also a festival of fun. The traditional Ngo boat (Vietnamese: ghe ngo, a wooden boat carved on both bow and stern) race is the highlight of the day next to the full moon night. This race is marked by the participation of many enthusiastic viewers who scream and encourage the participants to reach the finishing line first. The completion of the boat race signifies the completion of the villager’s responsibility to the moon god.

Beside, on this period at this Soc Trang Province, there is also Ngo Boat Race. The Ngo Boat, called Tuk Ngo in the Khmer language, is a free trunk carved in the shape of a diamond with curved ends. The navigation of such a boat requires practice and skill because it can easily be capsized. This festival organized as a cultural sport, attracts hundreds of thousands of participants and spectators.

The Khmer celebrate another festival called “Eating Green Rice Flakes”, which takes place during the Khmer New Year. This celebration for the new rice, which is similar to the celebrations of many other ethnic groups, is organized to honor Buddha and to show gratitude to the Mekong River for bringing the water used for irrigating the crops.

Sep 20

Whale Festival of Fishermen in Can Gio

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The annual Nghinh Ong festival for fishermen to worship the whale to seek good luck at sea will open in HCM City’s coastal district of Can Gio.

The four-day event will include a ceremonial offering by village elders to show gratitude to the whale, known reverently as Ca Ong, and commemorate fishermen who died at sea.

A procession by locals in traditional clothes will begin from the sea and end at the Ong Thuy Tuong Temple.

The highlight of the festival will be the release of colourful lanterns in the sea by young people to pray for a new and better fishing season.

This year the Nghinh Ong festival will also feature folk games, artistic performances, martial arts, and sports competitions.

But the sporting connection will be intense – the National Athletics Championship will begin on Sept 10when the Can Gio Open Marathon will be run.

Winners in the former event will qualify to represent Vietnam at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Indonesia next month.

“We hope to take sport to young people,” Nguyen Trung Hinh, deputy chairman of the city Athletics Federation and a member of the festival organising board, said.

The organisers have also worked with authorities in Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces to launch tours to offer tourists a varied experience.

They hope to attract thousands of local and foreign visitors.

Fishermen believe that whales rescue people in danger and accompany them to the safety of the shore. Over time they began to celebrate an annual festival to cherish the giant creatures between the 14th and 17th of the eighth lunar month.

It also provides them the time to pray for peace, prosperity, and happiness for the whole community.

The festival has come to epitomise traditional cultural values, reflect the local spirit, and celebrate life.

Nghinh Ong is also celebrated in other coastal provinces around the country.

Sep 20

The Kiep Bac – Con Son Autumn Festival Kicks Off

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A ceremony to pray for peace and float flower garlands and colored lanterns was held on September at Luc Dau River in the northern province of Hai Duong.

A ceremony to start the Kiep Bac – Con Son Autumn Festival 2011 in commemoration of the death anniversary of national hero General Tran Hung Dao.

General Tran Dung Dao is one of the most revered men in Vietnam ’s history for his leading role in the country’s victory over the three invasion wars by the Mongolians in the 13 th century. He passed away on August 20 (Lunar calendar) in 1300.

This year’s festival is taking place from September 12-15 (the 15 th to 18 th day of the 8 th lunar month), featuring many traditional ceremonials such as Cao yet ceremony (ceremony for opening the temple), Khai an ceremony (ceremony of conferring seals), incense offering ceremony and walking procession.

One of the most expected events in the festival is a boat race in which hundreds of boats will re-enact the spectacle scene when the General lined up his 200,000 troops and 1,000 warships on the Luc Dau River urged along by drumming sounds and the screaming of excited people.

A ceremony to pray for peace and a night festival to float flower garlands and colored lanterns on Luc Dau River will take place on Sept. 14.

Together with the rituals, there are also cultural, sports and entertainment activities, including wrestling, cock-fighting and chess competitions, boat race, dance performances, cheo (traditional opera) and quan ho (love duets) singing.

Sep 14

Whale Festival in Can Gio

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The Whale Festival has been, for centuries, the biggest water festival of the fishermen. The worshipping of the whale is not only about paying respect to their God, but also about ensuring prosperity for the villagers. This festival last for two days in the middle of the 3rd lunar month.

On this occasion, the whale temple, as well as all the houses and boats, are beautifully decorated. The peace offering is conducted in the first evening at the whale temple by village elders.

The annual Nghinh Ong festival for fishermen to worship the whale to seek good luck at sea will open in HCM City’s coastal district of Can Gio on Sept. 9.

The four-day event will include a ceremonial offering by village elders to show gratitude to the whale, known reverently as Ca Ong, and commemorate fishermen who died at sea.

A procession by locals in traditional clothes will begin from the sea and end at the Ong Thuy Tuong Temple.

The highlight of the festival will be the release of colorful lanterns in the sea by young people to pray for a new and better fishing season.

This year the Nghinh Ong festival will also feature folk games, artistic performances, martial arts, and sports competitions.

But the sporting connection will be intense – the National Athletics Championship will begin on Sept 10when the Can Gio Open Marathon will be run.

Winners in the former event will qualify to represent Vietnam at the Southeast Asian Games (SEA Games) in Indonesia next month.

“We hope to take sport to young people,” Nguyen Trung Hinh, deputy chairman of the city Athletics Federation and a member of the festival organizing board, said.

The organizers have also worked with authorities in Dong Nai, Ba Ria-Vung Tau, Long An, and Tien Giang provinces to launch tours to offer tourists a varied experience.

They hope to attract thousands of local and foreign visitors.

Fishermen believe that whales rescue people in danger and accompany them to the safety of the shore. Over time they began to celebrate an annual festival to cherish the giant creatures between the 14th and 17th of the eighth lunar month.

It also provides them the time to pray for peace, prosperity, and happiness for the whole community.

The festival has come to epitomize traditional cultural values, reflect the local spirit, and celebrate life.

Nghinh Ong is also celebrated in other coastal provinces around the country.