The festival is held to commemorate the merit of Thien Y Ana, the Holy Mother who is called Po Inu Nag by the Cham people, the mother of the land who taught people how to cultivate, raise animals, and weave cloth.
Ponagar Tower Festival attracts thousands of people to offer incense and visit. Photo: Xuan Hoat.
On the morning of May 10th, in Nha Trang city, Khanh Hoa province, the annual Thap Ba Ponagar Festival officially takes place. This is a large-scale spiritual and cultural event in the South Central – Central Highlands region of the Cham community.
The festival takes place from May 9th to 12th (March 20th to 23rd in the lunar calendar). The festival will feature ritual activities such as the Mother’s costume-changing ceremony, the national prosperity and people’s security prayer ceremony, the food offering ceremony, the Tý hour offering ceremony, and the traditional ritual ceremony.
In addition to the people of Khanh Hoa and the Cham people from Ninh Thuan and Binh Thuan provinces who come to participate in the festival, there are also people from some provinces in the Central and Central Highlands regions such as Da Nang, Quang Nam, Phu Yen, Dak Lak, Gia Lai, Lam Dong, Thua Thien – Hue, and Ho Chi Minh City.
From early morning, thousands of Cham people from Binh Thuan, Ninh Thuan, Dak Lak, Phu Yen… come here to give thanks to Thien Y Ana, the Holy Mother who has made great contributions to helping the people, bringing good things and happiness to everyone.
After the opening ceremony, Nguyen Hai Ninh, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee, beat the drum to officially open the Thap Ba Ponagar Festival, and together with the delegates, offered incense to commemorate the merit of Thien Y Ana.
According to the Khanh Hoa Provincial Heritage Conservation Center, this year’s festival has about 100 groups of Mau worship practitioners from Khanh Hoa, and other localities in and outside the country participating.
@Zing News
Discover more from Vietnam Insider
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.