State and local officials conveyed greetings to Khmer people in southern Vietnam on April 11, a few days ahead of the ethnic group’s Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival.
Chol Chnam Thmay, taking place from April 14-16 this year, is one of the most important festivals for the Khmer people. It lasts three days (four days in leap years) and is traditionally held in a pagoda.
The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to the promise of a new year.
At the Candaransi pagoda in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Khmer people and Buddhist monks participated in traditional New Year rituals expressing their gratitude to ancestors.
Pham Dung, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, congratulated Khmer people on their traditional festival and spoke highly of Chol Chnam Thmay celebrative activities which, he said, will help preserve their traditional identities.
Khmer ethnics have put their trust in the Party and State’s policies and joined hands with local authorities in the national development and protection, he noted.
At a gathering in Kien Giang province, Monk Danh Nhuon, deputy head of the executive board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s provincial chapter, said Khmer communities have gained a facelift thanks to practical projects and policies issued by the Party and State.
Almost all Khmer-inhabited areas have had electricity and concrete roads while low-income families have received house building and farmland aid, he noted, adding that local Khmers are determined to work harder towards better living conditions and stronger local development.
On this occasion, Kien Giang earmarked more than 1.5 billion VND (71,400 USD) sourced from its budget for supporting impoverished Khmer households during the Chol Chnam Thmay festival.
Also on the day, nearby Vinh Long province kicked off the sixth culture and sport festival of the Khmer people occasioned their traditional New Year.
The two-day event includes a variety of activities, such as photo and document exhibitions on the group’s cultural identities and their rural area building efforts, along with traditional dancing and musical instrument performances.
A cooking contest of traditional Khmer dishes and folk game competitions also form part of the festival.
Mainly residing in the south of Vietnam, the Khmer ethnic group numbers more than 1.2 million people and is among the most populous ethnic group in the country.-VNA
Chol Chnam Thmay, taking place from April 14-16 this year, is one of the most important festivals for the Khmer people. It lasts three days (four days in leap years) and is traditionally held in a pagoda.
The festival is a demonstration of Khmer people’s aspirations, like many other ethnic groups, to move on from the previous year’s misfortunes and look forward to the promise of a new year.
At the Candaransi pagoda in District 3 of Ho Chi Minh City, Khmer people and Buddhist monks participated in traditional New Year rituals expressing their gratitude to ancestors.
Pham Dung, Deputy Minister of Home Affairs and Chairman of the Government’s Committee for Religious Affairs, congratulated Khmer people on their traditional festival and spoke highly of Chol Chnam Thmay celebrative activities which, he said, will help preserve their traditional identities.
Khmer ethnics have put their trust in the Party and State’s policies and joined hands with local authorities in the national development and protection, he noted.
At a gathering in Kien Giang province, Monk Danh Nhuon, deputy head of the executive board of the Vietnam Buddhist Sangha’s provincial chapter, said Khmer communities have gained a facelift thanks to practical projects and policies issued by the Party and State.
Almost all Khmer-inhabited areas have had electricity and concrete roads while low-income families have received house building and farmland aid, he noted, adding that local Khmers are determined to work harder towards better living conditions and stronger local development.
On this occasion, Kien Giang earmarked more than 1.5 billion VND (71,400 USD) sourced from its budget for supporting impoverished Khmer households during the Chol Chnam Thmay festival.
Also on the day, nearby Vinh Long province kicked off the sixth culture and sport festival of the Khmer people occasioned their traditional New Year.
The two-day event includes a variety of activities, such as photo and document exhibitions on the group’s cultural identities and their rural area building efforts, along with traditional dancing and musical instrument performances.
A cooking contest of traditional Khmer dishes and folk game competitions also form part of the festival.
Mainly residing in the south of Vietnam, the Khmer ethnic group numbers more than 1.2 million people and is among the most populous ethnic group in the country.-VNA
