The 2019 edition of Ponagar Temple Festival of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province takes place from April 24 to 27 (lunar March 20 to 23) with numerous typical cultural activities relating to the ritual of worshipping Mother Goddesses.
The 2019 edition of Ponagar Temple Festival of Nha Trang, Khanh Hoa Province takes place from April 24 to 27 (lunar March 20 to 23) with numerous typical cultural activities relating to the ritual of worshipping Mother Goddesses.
On the occasion of the annually-held Ponagar Temple Festival, a large number of people in Khanh Hoa and pilgrims from the provinces and cities in the southern central and highland area visit Ponagar Temple to attend the ceremony. An estimated 100,000 people will visit the temple during the 2019 festival, according to Nguyen Tuan Dung, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Monument Preservation Center. Among the visitors are around 5,000 Cham people from Ninh Thuan Province. At present, about 100 groups of pilgrims with more than 3,000 people from many localities in Khanh Hoa and other provinces registered to take part in activities of the festival.
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The Ponagar Temple Festival includes many traditional ceremonials, for example changing the Mother Goddess’s dress; releasing flower lights on Cai River; carrying palanquins across the streets; praying for peace and good things; offering incense to the Mother Goddess; singing traditional songs; performing ritual dance; playing folk games; performing techniques of fabric weaving and pottery making of Cham people, and so on.
The organization committee of the festival give instructions to the pilgrims visiting Ponagar Temple and cooperate with the police, border units, and officials of Vinh Phuoc Ward and Vinh Tho in order to ensure the order and safety during the festival. The ceremonial and notices about the festival are displayed at many places at Ponagar Temple Monument providing the festival’s rules and necessary information. The food products used in the festival are also closely supervised. In the time of the 2019 Ponagar Temple Festival, the pilgrims can enjoy meals free of charge at the dining area of the temple.
The Ponagar Temple Festival 2019 is one of the cultural activities held to celebrate the Visit Vietnam Year (the national tourism year) 2019. “This is an event to acknowledge and raise the communities’ sense of responsibility in preserving and promoting the typical traditional cultural values of Khanh Hoa Province. The solemn ceremonials of the festival will help to present and introduce the local cultural characteristics to domestic and international tourists,” said Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of Khanh Hoa Provincial Department of Culture and Sports.
Giang Đinh
Translated by H.N
