The southern province of Tra Vinh celebrated Ok Om Bok festival, and received the certificate of the recognition of the moon worshipping ritual of the Khmer ethnic minority group as the national intangible cultural heritage on November 6th.

Local authorities, monks from all 142 Khmer pagodas in the province and thousands of people attended the event.

Incense offering at the Ok-Om-Bok Festival. Photo: Vietnam+

Ok-Om-Bok is one of the three main festivals –Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay- they celebrate every year. The Khmer believe the moon is a God who controls the weather and crops throughout the year.

The festival takes place at full moon in the 10th lunar month. On this occasion, the local residents provide offerings to show their gratitude for the God for giving them good weather conditions and fruitful harvests.

Each village organizes their own festival in the courtyards of their local pagodas, while the large provincial festival is held at Ba Om pond cultural relic site. The festival features a number of entertainment opportunities, including art performances, traditional sports challenges and folk games.

Tra Vinh is currently home to 320,000 ethnic Khmer, accounting for 32 percent of the province’s total population. During the moon worshipping festival, Ba Om pond cultural relic site attracts thousands of local inhabitants and tourists.

Source: VNA