VIETNAM FESTIVAL AND EVENTS
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The festivals and
events are calendared in Lunar month. Normally, a lunar month stay
later than western month of around 30 days.
NOVEMBER / DECEMBER
KATE FESTIVAL
The
Kate Festival is held annually by the Cham ethnic group who
inhabit the An Phuoc District of Ninhthuan Province. The
Kate Festival ia held on the first ten days of the seventh month
of the Cham Calendar (this corresponds with September or
October). The Kate Festival is an occasion for the Cham people to
express their venerability to their god. This god is considered
the creator of the universe and is thought of as a national hero.
During this festival, people go on a pilgrimage to the holy
land of My Son and visit their friends and family.
On the last ten days of the sixth month of the Cham calendar, the
Cham people bring precious gifts to their ancient Cham King. This
ritual is held to thank their god beforehand and to ask for help
in organizing the Kate Festival.
At night, everyone from the villages gets together to see the
ritual performances of the traditional costumes (Poh Akharao).
This traditional dance performance is accompanied by the solemn
Kapo music rhythms.
In the early morning of the first day of the seventh month of the
Cham calendar, the worshipping ceremonies are complete. Everyone
then stages a procession for the deity of a nearby temple or tower
, such as the Polnu Nagar, Poklong Garai, or An Phuoc. The
procession
is very crowded and the music of the Raglay people (the
ancient Cham people) can be heard everywhere.
In the temples, the worshipping sorcerer commences the ritual of
the door opening (Poh Bang), and the vice worshipping sorcerer
executes a hymn piece.
The hymn is accompanied by the rhythms of the ancient Kanhi and
tells of the the power of the people. Other rituals include the
washing and dressing of the Statue of the King with mineral water
and the offering of wine in worship.
The
rituals lasts throughout the day and into the night,
concluding with a performance where people compose and recite
poems while playing music. The festival is a very exciting time
because people from everywhere can converse, share in the same
feast, and walk the same path.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar 2005 Nov 15, 2020 Dec
04, 2007 Nov 23, 2020 Nov 11.
GHE NGO
FESTIVAL
According to the
Khmer people, the 15th day of the tenth lunar month marks the end
of their year. Khmer people in Vietnam's southern Mekong Delta
celebrate this event with ceremonies, feasts and
Ngo boat races.
On the Khmer New Year's Eve, villagers gather in the grounds of
their local pagoda, in a treeless area. The moon is invited to
watch the ceremonies, which begin with the construction of a
bamboo archway, decorated with leaves and flowers. Beneath this
arch stands a table on which villagers place offerings of bananas,
coconuts, sweet potatoes, cassava and, most importantly, new
sticky rice.
When the moon appears, an old man lights incense and candles and
prays to the Moon Deity. Following this prayer, children kneel and
raise their clasped hands to the moon. The host of the ceremony
places chunks of sticky rice in the children's mouths, pats them
on the back and tells them to make a wish. These wishes are said
to foreshadow the fate of the community in the coming year.
Following this
ceremony, the
festivities begin. Lantern-rockets, made of paper
and powered by burning oil, careen into the air. Candles are lit
and the dripping wax, collected on banana leaves, is used to
predict the weather. Rafts made of banana leaves are released on
canals. And like at all successful festivals, the rice wine flows
freely.
The following day features Ghe Ngo (Ngo boat) races. The long,
slim boats, often made from the hollowed-out trunk of a Sao tree,
each hold about 50 men. Prior to the race, people place incense
and candles on the boats and, accompanied by a traditional
orchestra of gongs, perform various ceremonies to choose the
boats' captain and crew. One man is chosen to sit on the prow,
where he will pray to the gods and entertain the rowers. The races
themselves are thrilling, as the rowers push themselves to the
limit, encouraged by the jubilant cheers of the crowd.
Starting Dates in Western
Calendar 2005 Nov 16, 2020 Dec
05, 2007 Nov 24, 2008 Nov 12.
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