At Ponagar Tower, the tower’s management board has regularly encouraged and reminded local people and visitors not to burn votive paper offerings at the relic site.

For pilgrims to the tower relic in groups, the center for preservation of relics in the province has handed out leaflets and used loudspeakers for calling people not to use joss paper as worshiping offerings at Ponagar Tower.

Within the tower relic site, sign boards with notice prohibiting votive paper burning at the site have also been placed at areas where they could easily been seen.

The relic preservation center in the province has also gathered supports from village elders and local authorities in disseminating the regulation on joss paper burning to local people and visitors.

So far, practical activities advocating people not to use and burn joss paper offerings at Ponagar Tower have brought encouraging results where most of visitors and locals have observed the regulation of the relic site.

Mrs. Nguyễn Thị Bích Ngọc living in Ha Thanh Street of Nha Trang City informed that she used to come to Ponagar Tower monthly for worshiping the Goddess there, often with some joss paper offerings, and more votive paper offerings on main worshiping rituals. But she now learnt that “joss paper should not be used and burned, in order to save money and better protect the relic site”.

According to Director of the Center for Preservation of Relics in the central province of Khanh Hoa, the burning of votive paper at the tower relic has been reduced up to 80%.

PTT