A bustling New Year festival in Can Tho.

After the Lunar New Year, the communes and wards of Can Tho City are once again bustling with festivals. These festivals, rich in traditional identity, contribute to a vibrant cultural landscape, becoming meaningful destinations for locals and tourists at the beginning of the year.

People dressed up in costumes and enthusiastically participated in the "water splashing" during the Song Phong Ceremony at the Ba Xom Chai Temple in the year of the Snake (2015).

Particularly noteworthy is the Tong Phong Festival, which symbolizes the expulsion of misfortune and disease, and a prayer for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and family well-being. The festival is held at many temples, shrines, and pagodas, but the largest-scale event takes place at the Ba Xom Chai Temple (Hung Phu Ward), from the 12th to the 14th of the first lunar month every year.

The Tống Phong ceremony at the Bà Xóm Chài Temple includes rituals such as worshipping the Goddess of the Land, building and launching rafts... Among them, the raft is the centerpiece of the festival, meticulously built and decorated. People place offerings inside the raft, sincerely pray, and at noon on the 14th day of the first lunar month, they perform the ritual of launching the raft into the main river, signifying the expulsion of bad luck and disease... People participate in the festival by dressing up in costumes, splashing water, and having fun on the waterways of Can Tho , creating a lively atmosphere at the beginning of the new year.

The Lantern Festival, celebrated on the 15th day of the first lunar month, is held in many temples, pagodas, and especially in the ancient shrines and assembly halls of the Hoa ethnic minority in the communes and wards of Ninh Kieu, Cai Rang, Vinh Chau, Phu Loi, Soc Trang , and Vi Thanh… With its unique rituals, the festival attracts a large number of locals and tourists who come to offer incense, pray for peace, and experience the festivities.

The full moon of the first lunar month is also Vietnam Poetry Day. On this occasion, the Lantern Festival Poetry Night organized by the Union of Literature and Arts Associations of Can Tho City will be an interesting gathering place for poetry lovers. Poems praising the homeland, the country, and its people will be recited amidst the spring atmosphere, contributing to enriching the spiritual life of the community.

Next, on January 19th and 20th, the commemoration ceremony for Valedictorian Bui Huu Nghia will be held at the Valedictorian Memorial Area (Binh Thuy Ward). The solemn rituals will be held with the participation of the family, the ceremonial committee, a large number of people, and cultural activities honoring the tradition of "drinking water, remembering the source," and paying tribute to the "Golden Dragon" of the Southern region.

In mid-February of the lunar calendar each year, the Phước Biển Festival (Chrôi rum chếk) of the Khmer people takes place in Vĩnh Châu ward. This festival, over 300 years old, features unique traditional rituals that express gratitude to the sea, and prayers for a bountiful harvest and peaceful life. In 2025, the Phước Biển Festival was designated by the Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage.

At the Giàn Gừa City-level historical site (Nhơn Ái commune), the Bà Cố Hỷ festival will take place on the 28th day of the 2nd lunar month, attracting a large number of pilgrims. Besides rituals steeped in folk beliefs, Giàn Gừa also features many activities such as lion dance, shadow puppetry, and traditional music performances, recreating the history of land reclamation and praising the merits of the ancestors of this region.

The New Year festivals in Can Tho are not only religious activities but also spaces for community cultural life. Each ritual and festival contains historical values, reflecting the rich spiritual life of the people living along the river. In the modern era, these festivals are still preserved and promoted, becoming a bridge between the past and the present, helping to connect the community and contributing to promoting the image of Can Tho, a land of compassion and rich identity, to tourists near and far.

Text and photos: DUY KHÔI

Source: https://baocantho.com.vn/ron-rang-le-hoi-dau-nam-o-can-tho-a199118.html