The beauty of filial piety in the Sene Don Ta ceremony.

These days, villages and hamlets with large Khmer populations seem to be transformed, with people busily decorating and cleaning their houses and altars, and preparing many traditional dishes to offer to their ancestors. Depending on the economic conditions of each family, everyone prepares differently, but the offerings usually have in common simple, familiar dishes characteristic of the Khmer people. Dishes that are indispensable during the Sene Don Ta festival include sticky rice and noodle soup.

Khmer people in Thanh Yen commune, U Minh Thuong district ( Kien Giang province) visit Xeo Can pagoda in Thanh Yen commune during the Sene Don Ta festival.

At the home of Ms. Thi Nho, residing in Vinh Trung hamlet, Hoa Chanh commune, U Minh Thuong district (Kien Giang province), family members work together on household chores. Ms. Nho and her daughter clean the house and cook, while her husband cleans the altar. The altar is decorated with fresh flowers, fruits, and traditional Khmer dishes.

“The Sene Don Ta festival is an occasion for us to express our reverence for our grandparents and ancestors. It is also a time for family members to gather, reminisce about beautiful memories, and pray for peace and happiness for the family,” said Ms. Nho.

According to Khmer tradition, during the Sene Don Ta festival, people carefully prepare offerings to present at home. On the main day of the festival, people wear traditional clothing to the temple to offer food to the monks and participate in traditional rituals.

Khmer people in Nam Thai commune (An Bien district) come to Thu Nam pagoda to perform rituals during the Sene Don Ta festival.

Mr. Danh Tien, head of the ceremonial committee at Ca Nhung Pagoda in Go Quao district (Kien Giang province), said: “The Sene Don Ta festival takes place over three days with different rituals. On the first day, people perform ancestral worship rituals at home; on the second day, people go to the pagoda to offer food to the monks and perform chanting for the deceased; on the third day, they offer food to send their ancestors back to their peaceful resting place.”

Sene Don Ta is not only a traditional festival deeply rooted in the cultural identity of the Khmer people, but it also carries profound humanistic significance, contributing to the preservation and promotion of the beautiful cultural values ​​of the Khmer people, educating the younger generation about filial piety and gratitude to their ancestors, grandparents, and parents.

These days, families gather together, happily chatting over a warm cup of tea and some sweets, sharing stories about life, discussing the sacred meaning of the Sene Don Ta festival, and reminding each other to uphold filial piety and the tradition of remembering one's roots. This beautiful cultural tradition has been preserved and promoted by the Khmer people through many generations.

“Every year during the Sene Don Ta festival, the children and grandchildren in the family gather to prepare a feast to offer to their grandparents and ancestors. Despite being busy earning a living, my family always cherishes and preserves this beautiful tradition to remind our children and grandchildren of filial piety and the principle of remembering our roots,” said Mr. Huynh Song, a resident of Soc Son town, Hon Dat district (Kien Giang province).

Text and photos: THIEN HIEU

Source: https://www.baokiengiang.vn/van-hoa-the-thao/net-dep-hieu-dao-trong-le-sene-don-ta-22556.html