Sen Don - Ta is a traditional festival that takes place every year around the end of September or the beginning of October according to the Khmer calendar.
This year, the festival lasts for three days from October 1, 2024 (August 29th lunar calendar) to October 3, 2024 (September 1, 2024 lunar calendar) with offerings and offerings at pagodas and at home to commemorate deceased ancestors. Khmer people believe that during these days, the souls of grandparents and ancestors will return to reunite with their descendants, receiving prayers and offerings from their descendants.
Filial piety is the core value of the Sen Don - Ta festival.
In Khmer culture, gratitude and respect for grandparents and parents are precious qualities and the foundation of family and community relationships. The Sen Don - Ta ceremony helps to strengthen and nurture these good values through each generation.
During the holidays, parents and grandparents often tell their children and grandchildren about the lives and contributions of their ancestors, reminding them of the moral of "remembering the source of water when drinking". This is an opportunity for the younger generation to better understand their roots, appreciate the contributions of their parents and grandparents, and understand the importance of maintaining strong, close family relationships.
Sen Don - Ta Festival has a profound community character
On the occasion of Sen Don - Ta Festival, Khmer people go to pagodas to make offerings, gather at home to worship their ancestors, showing solidarity and sharing in life. Through these activities, children are taught about neighborly love, love and mutual support in the community.
Sen Don Festival - We begin with offering offerings at the pagoda, where monks perform worship rituals and chant prayers for the souls of ancestors. Khmer families bring rice, fruits, cakes and many other offerings to show their respect and gratitude to their grandparents and ancestors.
At home, families also perform worship rituals with beautifully decorated ancestral altars. In particular, traditional dishes such as gingerbread, banh it or sticky rice are carefully prepared, imbued with the flavor of Khmer culture.
Poet Thach Do Ni ( Hoa Binh town, Hoa Binh district, Bac Lieu province) shared: "The ritual of offering food in the 'Trai funeral' ceremony through monks and prayers to dedicate the food to deceased relatives. The meaning is to pray for deceased relatives to be reborn in the Pure Land, and for the family to be healthy, peaceful and prosperous. Depending on the locality with a large family density, if the monks are few and cannot go to each house on this occasion, the families only offer food on the altar".
In addition, the Sen Don-Ta festival is an opportunity for family members to gather, chat and perform traditional rituals together. Through this, it is an opportunity toeducate children about family love, filial piety and responsibility to preserve cultural traditions. At the same time, the Khmer community demonstrates a spirit of solidarity, solidarity and spreads good values in society.
Sen Don - Ta Festival therefore plays an important role in maintaining and developing the unique Khmer cultural identity, promoting the spirit of filial piety between generations.
Source: https://giadinhonline.vn/le-hoi-sen-don--ta-dip-bay-to-hieu-hanh-cua-nguoi-khmer-d201989.html
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