Day of sincerity
There is a folk saying that "Worshiping Buddha all year round is not as good as the full moon day of the first lunar month", because this is the time when the moon is the fullest and brightest in the year according to Buddhist beliefs. Therefore, pagodas and places of worship often welcome many visitors from all over the country to come and pray for goodness and peace. As a "family tradition", this year, Ms. Lam Thi Tuyet (living in Vinh My ward, Chau Doc city) and her children and grandchildren went to the pagoda on the full moon day of the first lunar month. According to habit, she tried to go to "10 pagodas", praying for peace for her family, with the belief in a smooth and favorable year. At the age of 75, she has no other wish than to see her family happy, her children and grandchildren doing business smoothly and happily.
Going to the pagoda on the full moon day of January is a good tradition of Vietnamese people.
“A few years ago, I asked my children and grandchildren to take me to some distant pagodas in Nha Bang (Tinh Bien town), to worship Buddha and take a walk at the same time. This year, my health is not good, so I went to some pagodas near my house for convenience. Normally, I don’t go to that many pagodas, but on the full moon of January, I have to try, because this is the biggest full moon of the year,” Ms. Tuyet shared.
During Tet, Mr. Tran Van Dung (living in My Duc commune, Chau Phu district) mainly visits relatives, welcomes guests and worships ancestors. Only on the full moon day does his family go to the temple to worship Buddha. On other full moon days of the year, he can “forget” to be vegetarian, but on the full moon day of the first lunar month, he must remember.
Featured activities
Not only going to pagodas, Vietnamese people also display offerings to heaven, Buddha, and saints on the full moon night of January. The offerings with incense, flowers, tea, and fruits are solemnly displayed, showing respect to supernatural beings, wishing for a happy new year and prosperity for every family. In addition to decorating with flags and banners, pagodas organize many unique religious activities with humanistic values, such as praying for peace and praying for the dead.
For sectors and localities, the full moon of January is also a time to organize meaningful activities, honoring the cultural traditions of the nation, attracting a large number of people to participate. Typically, the People's Committee of An Hao Commune (Tinh Bien Town) coordinated with the Town Economic Department and the Management Board of Cam Mountain Tourist Area to organize the first Thien Cam Son Flower Lantern Festival in 2025 at Thuy Liem Lake on the evening of February 15 (January 18).
The lanterns carry the wish for national peace and prosperity.
Party Secretary, Chairman of An Hao Commune People's Committee Nguyen Hung Cuong informed: "Thien Cam Son flower lantern festival aims to honor the traditional cultural values of the nation, introduce to tourists the image of the homeland, people, and natural vegetarian cuisine of That Son land. Thereby, creating a highlight in the religious thinking of tourists when coming to Cam mountain on the full moon of January. At the same time, contributing to promoting local socio-economic development. The festival is organized with many unique activities, including: Enjoying vegetarian cuisine, art performances, praying for peace - releasing flower lanterns... promising to bring sacred moments, imbued with Buddhist culture for people and tourists from near and far to enjoy".
Borrowing the image of a pure lotus flower combined with a shimmering candle like the light of Buddha's wisdom, the lanterns carry the meaning of praying for national peace and prosperity, world peace and happiness, and people having a prosperous and prosperous life. This is a special event on Cam Mountain, contributing to enriching the religious life of Buddhists and people of An Giang on the occasion of the full moon of January this year.
From the concept of Buddhist beliefs, the full moon of January has truly become a cultural beauty in the spiritual life of Vietnamese people. So that, no matter where they go, people still remember the full moon of January as an occasion to find peace, restore faith in life, and create motivation for the upcoming journey.
Source: https://baoangiang.com.vn/van-hoa/ram-xuan-a414961.html
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