Eagerly awaiting the opening day of the festival.
As is customary, in the third lunar month, Ms. Do Thi Thanh (Nam Nha Trang ward) and her friends meticulously prepare for the sacred and respectful Mother Goddess festival. This begins with the Am Chua Festival at the Am Chua National Monument (Dien Dien commune), continues to the Mother Goddess's Day at Suoi Do (Dien Khanh commune), and most significantly, the Po Nagar Tower Festival at the Po Nagar Tower National Special Monument (Bac Nha Trang ward). Each monument is associated with the legend of Thien Ya Na Holy Mother, passed down through folklore in the saying "Am Chua manifests humanity, Po Nagar Tower manifests holiness"; while Suoi Do is traditionally believed to be where the Mother Goddess wandered and bestowed blessings upon humanity.
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| The Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival still preserves many traditional cultural features. |
In recent days, Ms. Thanh's group has been busy preparing costumes, props, and actively practicing dances to participate in the Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival, hoping to meet, dance, and sing for the Mother Goddess in the most beautiful and impressive way. Ms. Thanh said: "The Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival is an opportunity for us to express our sincere feelings to the Heavenly Mother YA Na. We prepare offerings including flowers, fruits, betel nuts, incense, and lamps, arranging them beautifully to offer to the Mother Goddess; praying for a bountiful harvest, happiness for the people, and protection from natural disasters, epidemics, and floods."
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| People bring offerings of flowers and fruits to present to the Holy Mother YA Na. |
With the same heartfelt devotion to Mother Thien YA Na, Ms. Phan Thi Nhung (from Thien Hoa Thanh Dien group, Hoa Thang ward) said that every time the Po Nagar Tower Festival comes around, the members of the group always make arrangements to come and pay their respects to the Mother. Before meeting the Mother, each person tries to practice dancing, singing, and arranging offerings in the best way possible. "The eighth month is the anniversary of the Father's death, the third month is the anniversary of the Mother's death," it only happens once a year, so we want to offer the Mother the best things, praying for peace, good fortune, and joy for everyone. This year, our group has some new members participating in the Po Nagar Tower Festival; everyone is ready to come and pay their respects to the Mother, and their heartfelt wishes are fulfilled," Ms. Phan Thi Nhung shared.
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| The Po Nagar Tower Festival attracts many groups practicing the Mother Goddess worship to participate. |
According to Mr. Dang Tan Nien, a member of the Cham Brahman Council of the province, the Po Nagar Tower Festival is very important to the Cham people, so every family wishes to attend the festival to express their feelings towards the Mother Goddess. Offerings to the Mother Goddess usually include flowers, fruits, agricultural products, and livestock that they themselves have raised. Through these offerings, they pray for good things to come to themselves, their families, and the community.
Preserving the beauty of traditional festivals.
This year's Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival (from May 5th to 11th, corresponding to the 19th to 25th of the third lunar month) features 12 activities, including: the water procession; the ceremony of changing the Mother Goddess's robes; the palanquin procession, prayers for the deceased, and the release of floating lanterns; prayers for national peace and prosperity; and the incense offering ceremony. The opening ceremony will take place on the evening of May 6th (corresponding to the 20th of the third lunar month). The rituals at the festival reflect the unique cultural identity and the beautiful cultural exchange between the Vietnamese and Cham peoples.
Furthermore, the organizing committee also emphasized adherence to regulations regarding festival organization, ensuring that the solemn atmosphere and traditional folk beauty are not compromised. In addition, the Provincial Center for Cultural Heritage Preservation has issued a document requesting relevant agencies, units, and localities to actively cooperate in organizing the festival's activities and rituals effectively.
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| People in beautiful costumes participate in the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival. |
Mr. Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, said: “The Po Nagar Tower Festival is held annually to honor the Vietnamese Mother Goddess YA Na and the goddess Po Inu Nugar – the Mother of the Cham people. The festival aims to contribute to raising the sense of responsibility of all levels, sectors, and the people in preserving and promoting the traditional cultural values of the locality; promoting and introducing the festival to the people and domestic and international tourists. The festival is organized according to ancient rituals; showcasing the typical and outstanding characteristics of the traditional cultural identity of the Mother Goddess worship in Khanh Hoa; while ensuring compliance with current regulations on festivals, beliefs, civilized lifestyles, etc., meeting the spiritual and cultural needs of the people and tourists attending.”
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| The joy of the Cham people during the Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival. |
The Po Nagar Tower Festival usually takes place from the 20th to the 23rd of the third lunar month every year at the Po Nagar Tower National Special Monument. This monument, dating from approximately the 8th to the 13th centuries, still preserves 14 royal decrees (including 6 decrees from the Nguyen Dynasty kings for Thien YA Na). It also preserves a system of inscriptions written in Sanskrit and ancient Champa script, with about 28 inscriptions... Besides its historical value, the Po Nagar Tower National Special Monument in Nha Trang also contains typical intangible cultural values of the Cham and Vietnamese people through the image of the goddess Po Inu Nugar/Thien YA Na Holy Mother.
GIANG DINH
Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202605/nao-nuc-ve-le-hoi-thap-ba-po-nagar-7fe23ff/
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