Nearly 230,000 visitors attended the Dinh Co festival.

On the morning of March 11th (February 12th in the lunar calendar), the main ceremony of the Dinh Co Festival 2025 took place with the procession of the Water Goddess into the temple (carrying the Goddess's ancestral tablet to the temple) and the ritual of worshiping the Goddess.

Rituals and offerings during the main ceremony of the Dinh Cô festival.

From early morning, elaborately decorated boats will head out to sea for the Nghinh Cô ceremony, praying for calm seas and abundant catches of shrimp and fish. To the resounding beat of drums, a procession of boats sails out to sea to welcome Cô and other deities, ancestors, and spirits back to her shrine.

On the shore, a large crowd of people from the coastal fishing villages of Long Hai and tourists gathered at Long Hai beach (opposite the Dinh Co Historical and Cultural Relic Site) to await the procession of the Goddess.

The ritual of singing "ba trao" (a type of folk song) in the Dinh Co festival.

At nearly 7:30 AM, the lead boat carrying the ancestral tablet of the Goddess arrived ashore from the sea. Following that, the lion and dragon dance troupe, the gong and drum team, the flag-carrying team, the ceremonial student team, along with the village elders and the temple's ritual committee, carried the ancestral tablet of the Goddess.

Thousands of people followed the procession carrying the Goddess, stretching from the beach to the gate of Dinh Co Temple, making the festival lively and vibrant. This was followed by a solemn and respectful ceremony to worship the Goddess. After the ceremony, the traditional folk singing troupe performed at Dinh Co Temple.

Lion and dragon dance performances are held to entertain visitors attending the festival.

According to Mr. Thai Van Canh, Head of the Management Board of Dinh Co Historical Site (Long Hai Town, Long Dat District), this year, the Dinh Co festival takes place on weekdays, so the number of visitors is spread evenly throughout the days, from March 8th to 11th.

As of March 11th, the festival had welcomed a total of nearly 230,000 visitors, a 5% increase compared to the previous year.

Text and photos: HUYEN TRANG

Source: https://baobariavungtau.com.vn/van-hoa-nghe-thuat/202503/gan-230-ngan-luot-khach-du-le-hoi-dinh-co-1036592/