Preserving the traditional festival of Via Ba Chua Xu at Sam Mountain.

As the first rains of the season begin to fall intermittently, the festival of the Goddess of Sam Mountain gradually reaches its peak, attracting a large influx of visitors from all over. Notably, 2025 marks the first year the festival is held after the Goddess of Sam Mountain Festival was inscribed by UNESCO as a Representative Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

For over 200 years, the worship of the Goddess of the Land has become an important spiritual anchor for millions of people, not only in Southern Vietnam but also throughout the country. The festival expresses reverence for the Goddess of the Land – revered as the Mother Goddess of the region, and also a symbol of Vietnamese Mother Goddess worship, contributing to the national cultural identity. The Via Ba Chua Xu festival at Sam Mountain was inscribed by UNESCO at a special time, right after the 15th National Assembly passed the amended Law on Cultural Heritage and the policy of investing in the National Target Program for Cultural Development for the period 2025-2035. This demonstrates the strong commitment of the Party and the State to protecting and promoting cultural heritage, making culture an important resource in the sustainable development of the country.

To continue preserving and promoting the value of the Via Ba Chua Xu Festival at Sam Mountain, Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh requested the Party Committee, government, and people of An Giang province, along with relevant ministries, departments, and localities, to focus on implementing five key tasks. These include emphasizing the need to preserve traditional rituals, ensuring their authenticity and solemnity so that future generations can continue and appreciate the sacred value of the festival; and raising community awareness of heritage values ​​through education and propaganda, so that every citizen and visitor participating in the festival understands and cherishes this unique cultural identity.

Therefore, this year's Via Ba Chua Xu Festival at Sam Mountain is being organized by Chau Doc City according to traditional annual rituals. The only new feature is that the opening ceremony is held early, integrated into the ceremony welcoming the UNESCO certificate recognizing the intangible cultural heritage of humanity (March 19th). The other ceremonies are held as usual, including: the reenactment of the procession of the statue of the Goddess and the street festival on the afternoon of May 19th (April 22nd in the lunar calendar); the bathing ceremony at midnight on May 20th (April 23rd in the lunar calendar); the ceremony of inviting the divine spirit at 3 PM on May 22nd (April 25th in the lunar calendar); the ceremony of offering prayers and worship at midnight on May 22nd, early morning of May 23rd (night of April 25th, early morning of April 26th in the lunar calendar); the main sacrificial ceremony at 4 AM on May 24th (April 27th in the lunar calendar); and the ceremony of returning the divine spirit at 3 PM on May 24th.

The festival activities are spread over two months (from March 19th to May 22nd), including cultural and artistic activities, sports , competitions, performances, exhibitions, calligraphy, culinary arts, and displays. Typical examples include: decorating and flying traditional kites; cultural performances and photo exhibitions to celebrate the festival; and sports competitions (tennis, pickleball, lion dance, women's volleyball, etc.). Alongside these are activities supporting the festival: training, promotion, and publicity through various diverse and engaging methods; inspection, supervision, ensuring security and order, traffic management, commercial civility, food safety and hygiene, public health care, and fire prevention and control, all taking place before, during, and after the festival.

Currently, the Department of Culture, Science and Information of Chau Doc City is leading and coordinating training courses to improve the quality of operations of the Monument Management Board; ensuring tourism security to contribute to the city's tourism development; communication, behavior, and situation handling skills for tourism volunteers; and tourism entertainment skills. In addition, it is coordinating with the Center for Culture, Sports and Broadcasting to develop a theatrical program for the reenactment of the procession of the statue of Lady Sam and the street festival; coordinating with the Management Board of the Sam Mountain Mausoleum to develop a program for offering incense and prayers; and organizing a calligraphy performance space to serve the people and tourists during the peak festival period. The Management Board of the Sam Mountain Mausoleum is responsible for organizing the rituals in accordance with national customs, traditions, and practices.

Chau Doc City Party Secretary Lam Quang Thi emphasized that the activities of the 2025 Via Ba Chua Xu Nui Sam Festival aim to preserve and promote the value of the intangible cultural heritage representing humanity, and to develop socio-economic aspects, with a focus on developing local tourism. This includes organizing and practicing traditional festival rituals, building a cultural and civilized festival environment; and managing and organizing the festival according to regulations. In particular, it is crucial to maximize the participation of the community, the people, and tourists in practicing traditional rituals and developing festival activities, thereby raising awareness and responsibility for preserving and promoting the value of this unique intangible cultural heritage of humanity.

Deputy Prime Minister Mai Van Chinh affirmed: “The Via Ba Chua Xu festival at Sam Mountain not only enriches the rich cultural identity of the Vietnamese nation, but also contributes to enhancing Vietnam's position on the world cultural map. We believe that, with the joint efforts of the government and the people, this heritage will continue to develop strongly, becoming an important intrinsic force contributing to the prosperity and civilization of the country.”

GIA KHANH

Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/gin-giu-le-hoi-truyen-thong-via-ba-chua-xu-nui-sam-a420405.html