Mr. Truong Van Duoc - Deputy Head of the Management Board of the Nam Hai Ong Lang Historical and Cultural Relic said that the Nghinh Ong festival originated from the customs and beliefs of fishermen worshiping totems and has become an indispensable part of the spiritual and cultural life of the people of Kien Hai coastal area for over 100 years.
The festival is an opportunity for fishermen to express their gratitude to the Nam Hai Dai Tuong Quan god, wishing for favorable weather and a peaceful and prosperous fishing season. “In the past, on the full moon day of the 10th lunar month, fishermen would come to Ong’s temple to give thanks after a year of safe and favorable fishing and pray for a smooth and prosperous new season… Gradually, this custom became a festival and has been maintained since the 1990s until now,” Mr. Duoc shared.
With more than 40 years of experience in the seafood fishing industry, Mr. To Hoang Oanh, a resident of Bai Bac hamlet, takes the time to participate in the annual Nghinh Ong festival. “We, the people of the coastal region, always worship Ong. When the festival comes, everyone joins hands and contributes to the organization, with the wish that people will be prosperous, happy, have favorable weather and wind, especially for fishermen's trips to be safe and smooth, and catch lots of fish and shrimp,” Mr. Oanh shared.
The Nghinh Ong Lai Son Festival in Kien Hai special zone takes place during the ceremony to request the royal decree of the God Emperor and the Lady of the Co Chu. Photo: LE TRUNG HIEU
This year, the Nghinh Ong Lai Son festival takes place for 2 days, December 4 and 5 (October 15 and 16 of the lunar calendar). In addition to traditional rituals, the festival also has many cultural activities, OCOP product displays, tourism promotion and art performances... to create a vibrant atmosphere, spreading local cultural values to a large number of people and tourists.
Mr. Truong Van Duoc said that this year's festival atmosphere was more bustling and crowded than previous years, attracting a large number of visitors from all over the country. Coming to the festival, people were treated to vegetarian dishes, vegetarian pancakes, and free drinks. This is an extremely meaningful volunteer work showing the spirit of solidarity, mutual love and support among people from all over the country.
With the potential and advantages of natural landscapes for tourism development, the economic strength is exploitation and aquaculture, in recent years, tourism has gradually developed according to the orientation of being one of the four breakthroughs of the resolution of the Kien Hai Special Zone Party Congress. The activities of the Nghinh Ong festival are important cultural and tourism events, unique highlights, and opportunities for people to connect, share, meet, and exchange to promote the potential and advantages that nature has bestowed on this land.
People of Kien Hai special zone perform the Nghinh Than ceremony. Photo: LE TRUNG HIEU
Ms. Nguyen Hai Yen - a tourist from Can Tho City said that she has been to Hon Son many times but this is the first time she has come during the Nghinh Ong festival. Ms. Yen shared: "It is a great chance for my family to directly experience the unique traditional festival atmosphere of the local people. In my opinion, in addition to traditional activities, the local government should consider organizing more tourism activities with typical characteristics on the island such as climbing Ma Thien Lanh mountain, organizing a race around the island, linking tours from Hon Tre - Hon Son - Nam Du during the festival to create a unique identity for everyone to know about this beautiful island region."
According to Chairman of the Kien Hai Special Zone People's Committee Chau Hung Ky, the Whale Festival not only has religious and cultural values but is also an event that attracts a large number of tourists to the Kien Hai sea area. This is an opportunity for people to understand more about the life and culture of coastal fishermen, and at the same time, it is an opportunity to promote the unique cultural and tourism products of the locality.
Mr. Chau Hung Ky said that in the coming time, Kien Hai special zone will continue to synchronously deploy many solutions to preserve, maintain and promote the traditional cultural values of the Nghinh Ong Lai Son festival, associated with the development of island culture and tourism.
In particular, continue to preserve, restore and practice the traditional festival rituals, ensuring solemnity, following customs and practices, showing respect to General Nam Hai. At the same time, improve the quality of the festival organization to create a vibrant atmosphere, attracting a large number of people and tourists to Lai Son to participate in the festival and experience.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/phat-huy-gia-tri-le-hoi-nghinh-ong-lai-son-a469527.html
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