March 08, 2020 | 18:37 (GMT+7)
Ponagar Temple Festival canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak
PANO – The Khanh Hoa provincial Department of Culture and Sports has sent a document asking the provincial Relics Preservation Center and the People’s Committee of Dien Khanh district to cancel the Ponagar Temple Festival.
The decision was made due to fears of the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak.
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A ritual at last year's festival (Photo: zing.vn) |
According to the document, relevant units will cancel all activities in the festival and develop plans to limit the gathering of large numbers of people to prevent the spread of the deadly virus.
The annual Ponagar Temple Festival is annually held in Khanh Hoa province from the 20th to 23rd day of the third lunar month in commemoration of Goddess Ponagar or Thien Y A Na – the Holy Mother of the Cham community in the central region. Cultural activities during the festival are related to the ritual of worshiping Mother Goddesses and traditional cultures of the people in the locality.
Located in Vinh Phuoc ward of Nha Trang City, Ponagar tower is a typical historical, cultural and art relic which was recognized as a national historical relic site in 1979 by the Ministry of Culture and Information (present the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism). The Ponagar Festival was recognized as a national intangible heritage in 2012.
Translated by Chung Anh