A boat race takes place on the Long Binh River in Tra Vinh city, Tra Vinh province, on November 21 to celebrate the Ok Om Bok Festival (Photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNA) – Ok Om Bok(moon worship) Festival of the Khmer ethnic people, part of national intangiblecultural heritage, was held in the Mekong Delta province of Tra Vinh onNovember 22.
At the event, the traditional moon worshipritual, the main activity of the festival, was reenacted by Khmerartists.
Khmer people believe the moon is the godcontrolling the weather and crops. The worship aims to thank the moon forgranting them good weather and bumper harvests, and to pray for better crops inthe following year.
Visitors to the festival also enjoyedtraditional singing and dancing performances from the ethnic group.
Addressing the ceremony, Chairman of the provincialPeople’s Committee Dong Van Lam wished local Buddhists and Khmer people a happyOk Om Bok Festival. He also called on them and authorities to preserve nationalheritage, uphold their traditional culture and help with the development ofVietnamese culture.
To celebrate the festival, Tra Vinh held anarray of other activities.
The celebratory programme lasted from November16 to 22, featuring a culture, tourism and cuisine week, a trade – tourism –agriculture promotion exhibition and workshops on the Mekong Delta’s tourismand supply – demand connection.
Additionally, the province unveiled a mural roadin Ba Se A hamlet of Luong Hoa commune, Chau Thanh district. The 28 murals,created by Khmer artists, reflect the culture and daily life of the ethnicgroup.
Tra Vinh is home to more than 310,000 Khmerpeople, accounting for 31.5 percent of its population.-VNA
VNA
