The unique Ok Om Bok festival of the Khmer people.

The Khmer Ok Om Bok festival is celebrated at the end of the harvest season to express gratitude to the Moon.

When the moon rises, the villagers gather in the temple courtyard, facing the moon to perform the Moon Worship Ceremony - the main ritual in Ok Om Bok. (Photo: Phuong Nghi)

Ok Om Bok is a traditional festival of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam, held annually on the full moon of the tenth lunar month . The Ok Om Bok festival is one of the national intangible cultural heritages recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

The Ok Om Bok festival, also known as the Moon Worship Festival (Pithi thvay pras – chanh) or "Offering flattened rice cakes," is a major folk festival of the Khmer people held at the end of the harvest season to express gratitude to the Moon, a deity in Khmer belief that helps protect crops, regulate the weather, and bring bountiful harvests and prosperity to the people in the villages. This is a festival of "worshiping the moon" and "bidding farewell to the water god," and it's hard to forget the local specialty of flattened rice flakes, as well as the "festival" with fun and enriching activities such as boat racing, paragliding, snail chess competition, releasing sky lanterns, and releasing water lanterns...

The ritual of worshipping the Moon usually involves making a gate from coconut palm leaves (or sugarcane stalks) decorated with flowers and leaves… offerings include flattened rice cakes, sweet potatoes, fruits, flat cakes, printed cakes, mooncakes… (Photo: Phuong Nghi)

The Moon Worship Ceremony is the main ritual in the Ok Om Bok festival, held on the night of the full moon in the tenth lunar month (this year, November 27, 2023) in temple grounds, in individual homes, or collectively in a spacious area.

According to Khmer cultural researcher and Meritorious Artisan Duong Chau Ol, to prepare for the Moon Worship ceremony, the Khmer people usually make a bamboo gate decorated with flowers and leaves; on the gate, they hang a string of betel leaves consisting of 12 rolled betel leaves symbolizing the 12 months of the year and a string of seven areca nuts with their shells split open like the wings of a bee, symbolizing the 7 days of the week. Nowadays, the ceremony is simpler, requiring only a table and offerings.

“Besides flattened rice flakes, which are a mandatory offering, there are also fresh coconuts, bananas, sweet potatoes, rice cakes, and other fruits… around, people light candles and incense sticks. In the evening, after everything is prepared, everyone spreads out mats, sits with their hands clasped, and faces the moon to wait for the ceremony,” Mr. Chau Ol said.

Acha presides over the ceremony, performing the moon worship ritual to celebrate the Ok Om Bok festival. (Photo: Phuong Nghi)

Just as the moon rose high and shone brightly, incense and candles were lit and tea was poured. At the temple, the Acha presided over the ceremony (at home, it was the oldest person), offering prayers expressing the villagers' gratitude to the moon, asking the moon to accept the offerings; to grant everyone good health, favorable weather, a bountiful harvest in the coming year, and a life of abundance and happiness.

After the offering ceremony, the master of ceremonies gathers the children together, sitting cross-legged with their hands clasped, facing the moon. He takes a little of each of the flattened rice cakes and other offerings and puts them into the children's mouths, then asks them what their wishes are. The children will express their wishes, and he advises them to be well-behaved, study hard, and contribute to society...

After the moon worship ceremony, everyone shook hands and exchanged best wishes. Throughout the night, the young men of the villages celebrated by dancing and reveling in the lamvong and sadam dances, marking the end of the Ok Om Bok festival.

The Moon Worship Ceremony is a beautiful traditional cultural feature of the Khmer people in Southern Vietnam. The festival, which celebrates the new rice harvest on moonlit nights, is an occasion to remember the benevolence of the Moon, the deity that regulates the seasons and helps people have bountiful harvests.

During the Ok Om Bok festival and the traditional Ngo boat race, visiting the villages of Soc Trang today, one can easily feel the changes and development of the Khmer people. Gathering with fellow villagers, they dance, sing À dây, perform Lâm Thôn dances, Lămvông, Lămleo... accompanied by the sounds of Sa Dăm drums and traditional five-tone music, creating a lively atmosphere for the festival. This is an opportunity for the Khmer people to celebrate after days of hard work.

Source: https://baoquocte.vn/dac-sac-le-hoi-ok-om-bok-cua-dong-bao-khmer-251444.html