An Giang: Opening of the Whale Festival in 2025

On the morning of December 5, at Nam Hai Dai Tuong Quan Temple, Kien Hai Special Zone, An Giang Province, the Whale Festival 2025 took place. The festival clearly demonstrates the unique cultural features of coastal and island people, which have been preserved and promoted through many generations.

Drum performance at the God Welcome Ceremony.

With the theme "Kien Hai Special Zone - Aspiration to Reach Far", the Whale Festival in 2025 not only carries traditional cultural and religious values ​​but is also an event that attracts a large number of tourists to Kien Hai sea area.

Coming to the festival, visitors can immerse themselves in a unique spiritual and cultural space with traditional rituals, showing respect to the sea god who always protects and cares for fishermen when they go to sea. This is also an opportunity to promote to visitors near and far the unique cultural features, material and spiritual values ​​that need to be preserved, conserved and promoted by the people of the sea and islands.

Delegates and people offer incense at the historical-cultural relic of Nam Hai Dai Tuong Quan Temple.

The leader of Kien Hai special economic zone said that through the festival activities, the locality creates conditions for investors to meet, exchange, seek cooperation opportunities, and effectively exploit the potential and advantages that nature has bestowed on the sea and islands of Kien Hai special economic zone in particular and the sea and islands of the Southwest of the country in general.

In the coming time, the Party Committee, government and people of Kien Hai special zone will continue to focus on managing, exploiting, preserving and promoting the cultural heritage value of the Whale Festival.

Invite the spirit and welcome the God to the sea.

The locality hopes to receive the cooperation of organizations, individuals, business communities and people in mobilizing resources to invest in construction, renovation and protection of the environment and natural landscape, contributing to sustainable tourism development.

The Nghinh Than Festival is held at the historical-cultural relic of Nam Hai Dai Tuong Quan Temple. This is the main ritual of the Nghinh Ong Festival, to pray for calm seas, favorable winds, favorable winds for fishermen, a good catch, and a peaceful and prosperous life.

The ritual is combined with the fishermen's Nghinh Than festival on the river and at sea, becoming a unique folk cultural and religious festival, associated with many generations of coastal residents of Lai Son and Kien Hai.

Scene of the God Welcoming Ceremony.

The opening ceremony of the Welcoming the Gods was a drum performance by the An Giang Provincial Cultural and Artistic Center. This was followed by the reading of the funeral oration by the Communal House Worship Committee, with delegates and people offering incense.

After the ritual part is inviting the spirit, carrying the Spirit to the sea, performing the ritual of offering items to the sea and moving to the Nam Hai Dai Tuong Quan Temple, ending the ceremony in a solemn and respectful atmosphere.

QUOC TRINH - THE HANH

Source: https://nhandan.vn/an-giang-khai-mac-le-hoi-nghinh-ong-nam-2025-post928185.html