The Chol Chnam Thmay Festival is one of the most important festivals of Khmer ethnic communities across the country, including the Mekong Delta province of Bac Lieu.
This is an opportunity for the Khmer people to pay tribute to their ancestors, reunite with families, and attend and perform Buddhist rituals at local pagodas.
However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s New Year festival for the Khmer people, which fell on April 13-16, was celebrated in a simple and safe manner.
All Khmer pagodas in Bac Lieu province restricted mass gatherings as well as recreational and sporting activities.
At the same time, local Buddhists were encouraged to strictly abide by social distancing following the Government’s directive on preventing and fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bac Lieu is now home to 16,000 Khmer households with more than 73,500 people. They have practised religious rituals at 29 local pagodas./.
