Bustling Ooc Om Boc Festival

STO - Every year in the 10th lunar month, Soc Trang city (Soc Trang) is filled with the bustling and joyful atmosphere of the Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing. After many years of successful organization, the festival is not only a typical spiritual dish of the Khmer people but also an attractive destination attracting tourists from inside and outside the province to visit and experience.

In the vibrant and bustling atmosphere of the festival, thousands of people flocked to the center of Soc Trang city to participate in unique and interesting sightseeing and experience activities. In particular, the opening activity in the series of events is the first Khmer Television Singing Festival in the Southern region in 2023. The activity aims to preserve and honor the good traditional cultural values, promote the cultural identity of the Khmer people in the South, and is also an opportunity for artisans and non-professional actors in the Khmer ethnic community to meet, exchange, and perform their talents to satisfy their passion for folk songs. Thereby contributing to the preservation and maintenance of ethnic folk songs in the community.

Colorful water lanterns and sampans shimmer on the Maspéro River. Photo: THIEN HAI

Along with the joyful atmosphere of the festival, there is also a performance of releasing water lanterns and recreating colorful boat rides on the Maspéro River in districts, towns and cities in the province. Ms. Lieu Thanh Hien in Bac Lieu province was very excited to experience this program. This was the first time she had seen water lanterns and boat rides performed on the river. Thanks to the festival, Ms. Hien had the opportunity to learn and explore the culture of the Khmer people and was very impressed with the hospitality and friendliness of the people of Soc Trang. Therefore, next year, she will invite more friends and relatives to visit and have fun.

Ngo boat racing is a highlight of the festival season. Photo: THIEN HAI

The most prominent activity in the series of events of the Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Racing is the Ngo Boat Racing with the participation of 46 Ngo Boat Teams from inside and outside the province. The race has brought visitors exciting emotions about the sport that has been included in the list of national intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism and recognized by the Vietnam Guinness Organization as the record sport "with the largest number of Ngo Boats and athletes in Vietnam since 2005".

Right from the opening day of the Ngo boat race (November 26), tens of thousands of people from inside and outside the province gathered along the Maspéro river embankment to watch the boat teams compete in the 1,200 meter distance for men and 1,000 meter distance for women. Among them were many tourists experiencing this festival for the first time. The love of the people in the province as well as tourists from near and far has helped make the tournament more and more attractive.

Many tourists from near and far come to watch the dragon boat race. Photo: CHI BAO

Mr. Tran Thanh Hai from Ho Chi Minh City shared: “This is a very interesting traditional sport. When I watched it on TV, I was excited; watching it live was even more exciting and bustling. I witnessed the swimming techniques of the athletes as well as the smooth coordination of each team member to quickly reach the finish line and win. Spectators all have seats in the stands and can easily observe the races.”

No less enthusiastic than the tourists from other provinces are the supporters of the ngo boat teams participating in this competition and will be very proud to see their local racing team win a high prize. Mr. Thach Thanh Nhan in Long Phu district was excited: "The preparation for this year's ngo boat race was thorough, the atmosphere was exciting, and many people came to cheer for the ngo boat teams. I also hope that the ngo boat teams will compete well and bring glory to the locality." Meanwhile, Mr. Huu Sep in Ca Mau province found the festival atmosphere very joyful this year. After many times coming to watch and cheer for the boat teams in the province, this year he saw that many people came to participate in the festival. "The activities in this year's festival were very impressive to me. Along with the exciting atmosphere, I hope that my province's boat team will win a high prize and bring glory to my hometown," Mr. Sep shared.

Happy victory. Photo: CHI BAO

When participating in the festival, visitors can also witness the moon worshiping ceremony of the Khmer people in the South with the participation of monks, achar, Buddhists and watch the performance of pounding flat rice. Along with these activities, many visitors from near and far can also visit and shop for agricultural products, specialties, OCOP products of regions and areas at the OCOP and Regional Specialty Products Trade Promotion Fair - Soc Trang. The fair brings together over 400 booths of more than 300 businesses from provinces and cities across the country. At the fair, there are also areas displaying and trading garment products, cosmetics, wooden furniture, household appliances, plant varieties and a culinary area with delicious dishes from Vietnam and Thailand. Within the framework of the festival, visitors can also admire the largest painting in Vietnam made from ST25 rice and enjoy delicious dishes at the Street Food Festival, with the theme "Flavor of Soc Trang". At the same time, you can see a photo exhibition about outstanding achievements of Soc Trang province.

The meaningful activities imbued with national cultural identity starting from November 20-27, 2023 within the framework of the Ooc Om Boc Festival - Ngo Boat Race in Soc Trang province this year once again affirmed its strong attraction as one of the most anticipated festivals of the year. The unique cultural, artistic and sports activities of the Khmer people in recent days have left a strong impression on visitors, contributing to promoting the unique cultural beauty of the Khmer people in the South in general and Soc Trang province in particular.

THIEN HAI

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