"Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival" proposed to be included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage

According to a source from the authorities on the afternoon of May 26, Mr. Dinh Van Thieu, Vice Chairman of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee, has just sent a document requesting the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to include the Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival in the list of national intangible cultural heritage.

According to this document, the profession of exploiting bird's nests in Khanh Hoa existed before the 17th century, local residents collected bird's nests in caves on coastal islands. At that time, there were primitive religious rituals, praying for the gods to support those who collected bird's nests.

By the 17th and 19th centuries, the Nguyen Dynasty paid attention to and strictly managed the bird's nest exploitation profession, and the ritual of worshiping the ancestors of the profession and the gods became an important tradition. Since then, temples to worship the ancestors of the bird's nest profession began to be built on the bird's nest islands and on the mainland in Nha Trang.

A ritual in the "Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival". Photo: Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Company

From the beginning of the 20th century until before 1975, the Bird's Nest Festival became a traditional custom, closely associated with the lives of bird's nest workers in Khanh Hoa. The worship rituals were richer and more diverse with the Ancestor Worship Ceremony, the Worship Ceremony to the Gods who protect the bird's nest exploitation profession and pray for favorable harvests. Local authorities and bird's nest organizations played an important role in maintaining and preserving the festival.

Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival has gone through many stages of development from the primitive beliefs of the communities of residents in Vinh Nguyen, Phuoc Hai, Vinh Truong, Vinh Hai, Vinh Hoa, Phuoc Long, Phuong Son, Phuong Sai wards and Phuoc Dong and Vinh Luong communes - Nha Trang City. Up to now, it has become an important local festival, maintaining this festival not only has spiritual significance, but also contributes to preserving the traditional culture of Khanh Hoa province.

“Up to now, the dossier has been completed in accordance with regulations. Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee requests the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism to consider and include the "Khanh Hoa Salanganes Nest Festival" in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage" - the document of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee clearly stated.

Source: https://cand.com.vn/van-hoa/le-hoi-yen-sao-khanh-hoa-duoc-de-nghi-vao-danh-muc-di-san-van-hoa-phi-vat-the-quoc-gia-i769607/