Several days before the Sene Dolta festival, Khmer people gather to make Tet cake. (Photo: VNA) Tra Vinh (VNA) – A thrill of excitement has overwhelmed theMekong Delta province of Tra Vinh these days as the Khmer people arecelebrating their traditional Sene Dolta festival, which falls on September27-29 this year.
Sene Dolta is one of the largest annual festival of ethnic Khmers in thesouthern region, along with Chol Chnam Thmay (New Year) and Ok Oom Bok (longboat race).
Also called Phchum Banh, Sene Dolta means family gathering and virtue. It isheld from the last day of the eighth lunar month to the second day of the ninthlunar month each year.
During the festival, theKhmer people express their gratitude to ancestors, parents and relatives, andpray for good luck. A wide range of religious rituals and several culturalactivities take place at Khmer pagodas.
Tra Vinh province has a population of 1 million people, 32 percent of whom areethnic Khmers. Most of the people live in rural areas and rely much on agriculturalproduction. In the past years, local authorities have carried out a myriad ofpolicies and programmes in support for the ethnic group to improve theirmaterial and spiritual lives.
According to Ha Thanh Son, deputy head of the provincial committee for ethnicminority affairs, hundreds of VND has been disbursed to develop infrastructurefor poor districts and areas resided by ethnic minority group, as well as helpthe locals to develop production.
As of the end of 2018, Tra Vinh province had over 16,400 poor households,declining 2.46 percent from 2017, with the number of impoverished Khmerfamilies falling 4.43 percent. To date, more than 93 percent of the Khmer peopleget access to clean water while over 97 percent are enabled to use safe electricity.
The province has eight boarding schools, helping facilitate the study of ethnicchildren, he added./.
VNA
