The Nghinh Ong Festival was held at Ong Duyen Hai Tomb, Vinh Lac Hamlet, Vinh Thinh Commune, Hoa Binh District, Bac Lieu Province.
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| Thousands of people waited for the moment of the parade to welcome him from the sea to the mausoleum to perform the worship rituals. Photo: VNA |
This is one of the large-scale Whale Festivals of Bac Lieu province, as well as the Mekong Delta region, attracting a large number of people and tourists to pray for luck and smooth sailing in the new year.
This year's Nghinh Ong Duyen Hai Festival takes place over 3 days (from 17-19/2024, on the 8th to 10th of January, the year of Giap Thin 2024), attracting thousands of tourists and people from coastal areas of Bac Lieu, Ca Mau, Soc Trang, and Kien Giang to participate in the festival.
From early morning, thousands of people inside and outside Bac Lieu province were present at Ong Lang, waiting for the moment of the parade to welcome Ong from the sea to the mausoleum to perform the worship and thanksgiving ceremony according to the customs of local fishermen. The ceremony began with the parade, welcoming Ong from the sea with the participation of many fishing boats of local fishermen in the bustling sound of gongs and drums.
The elderly and young women… solemnly dressed in ceremonial costumes, respectfully performed the ceremony at Lang Ong Duyen Hai according to the traditional rituals of the coastal people, praying for favorable weather, favorable winds, and boats going out to sea full of fish, shrimp….
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| Fishing boats go out to sea to bring Ong to Ong Duyen Hai mausoleum to perform worship rituals. Photo: VNA |
At exactly 8:00 a.m., a fleet of three fishing boats carrying hundreds of people went from inside Lang Ong to Cai Cung estuary to hold a ceremony to welcome Ong to the mausoleum. The boats were decorated with flags and flowers, with the sound of lion dance drums and engines resounding throughout the area, along with the cheers of people on both sides of the river, creating a lively and respectful atmosphere. When bringing Ong from the estuary, Lang Ong Management Board organized a ceremony to offer incense, flowers, fruits, tea, wine, etc., to thank Ong for giving fishermen a lucky year and to pray for a peaceful and prosperous new year.
Mr. Huynh Van Mung, a fisherman in Vinh Lac hamlet, Vinh Thinh commune, Hoa Binh district, said that every year, after finishing the Lunar New Year, on the 9th of January, he and his wife are busy buying offerings to go to Lang Ong to make offerings. Mr. Mung shared: Fishermen here call whales Ong to express their respect. Because, Ong is always the god who protects the peace of fishermen in coastal areas in the midst of big waves and strong winds. For those who go to sea, there is nothing better than praying that Ong will bring smooth sailing and a bountiful fishing season.
According to the Organizing Committee, this year's Nghinh Ong Festival was organized carefully and more lively than before. The festival took place with many exciting activities, attracting thousands of fishermen from all over the province to participate. Nghinh Ong is a cultural and religious festival of fishermen in Bac Lieu in particular and the coastal provinces of the Mekong Delta in general. Despite the hot weather, people did not hesitate to come from far away, especially those who work at sea, to Lang Ong to worship and pray for good things for the first fishing season of the year.
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