Thousands of tourists and pilgrims from across the country have flocked to the coastal city of Nha Trang over recent days to attend the Ponagar Temple Festival.
The opening day of the festival sees thousands of pilgrims and tourists flock to the main tower at the relic site in order to make offerings to the Holy Mother
The festival aims to pay tribute to Goddess Thien Y A Na, the Holy Mother of the Cham ethnic minority community in the central region, who, according to Cham legend, taught local people how to successfully cultivate crops and produce handicrafts
The event is observed annually from the 20th day to the 23rd day of the third lunar month
This year’s festival will feature traditional rites, such as clothes changing for the Holy Mother, the statue bathing rite, a ceremony to pray for peace and prosperity, as well as an incense offering ceremony
People make offerings which include items such as incense, flowers, fruit, and candles
Furthermore, a wide range of cultural activities honouring the spiritual life of the ethnic people in the south-central region is also held during the festival
Ponagar Temple, built more than 1,200 years ago, is an architectural work typical of the Cham aesthetic
In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Ponagar festival as part of the nation’s intangible heritage
Source: english.vov.vn
