An Giang province is home to the largest number of Cham people in the Southwest region with over 11,000 people. This year, due to the complicated development of the Covid-19 pandemic, Roya Haji, the traditional new year festival of the Muslim community has been held in a special way but still filled with love sharing.
Roya Haji festival is also known as the New Year festival of love and forgiveness, and the Cham ethnic minority communities in mosques and sub-mosques all hold celebrations of the festival.
According to Head of the Islamic community representative committee in An Giang Haji Jacky, Roya Haji festival is considered as a major and important event of Islamic people in An Giang, closing the 1442nd year and starting of the 1443rd year.
According to tradition, during the festival, Muslims from countries round world who meet required conditions will make pilgrimage (Haji) to Mecca (Saudi Arabia) for fulfilling the last of the five most important Islamic precepts.
This year, Roya Haji festival of Cham Muslim community took place from July 20 -22, while An Giang and some localities have been imposed with a social distancing due to the Covid-19 pandemic, so the Haji pilgrimage has been canceled.
The Muslim representative committee in An Giang has also asked the management board of mosques and sub-mosques, religious dignitaries and deacons and lay Muslims to strictly observe Covid-19 preventive measures regulated by local authorities, and temporarily cancel religious activities with large crowds at mosques and sub-mosques and even Friday prayers for better controlling the pandemic spread.
