Vice Chairman of the National Assembly Tran Thanh Man (fourth from right) presents gifts to Soc Trang monks on the occasion of the Chol Chnam Thmay. (Photo: VNA) Soc Trang (VNA) - The Khmer people in the Mekong Delta province of Soc Trang will celebrate their traditional New Year festival, Chol Chnam Thmay, from April 14-16.
Buddhist followers will gather at pagodas to perform traditional rituals throughout the festival.
Most Venerable Lam Suong, head of the Ompuyear Pagoda in Thanh Phu commune, My Xuyen district, said the pagoda has raised public awareness about COVID-19 prevention and control efforts during the festival, as recommended by the health sector and provincial authorities.
Head of the provincial ethnic minority committee Lam Sach said that over 30 percent of the local population are Khmer people. In recent years, the provincial Party Committee, authorities, and people have joined hands to complete political and socio-economic tasks, contributing to giving ethnic rural areas a facelift.
As of late 2020, the total number of local poor households was down to just over 8,600, or 2.66 percent. Of these, 4,140 were Khmer people, or 4.13 percent./.
