The God Welcoming Ceremony on Dong Nai River with hundreds of participants
On the morning of February 19 (January 10), the 9th Ong Pagoda Festival in 2024 officially began with the Nghinh Than ceremony along the rivers and streets of Bien Hoa City, attracting thousands of people and traders to participate.
The Nghinh Than Festival is an activity to bring folk gods, people who have contributed to reclaiming and building the land of Bien Hoa - Dong Nai, to travel by water and road.
Accordingly, the first group departed from Ong Pagoda wharf (also known as That Phu Co Mieu, Hiep Hoa ward), and Phung Son Tu temple (Quyet Thang ward, Bien Hoa city), marching up the Dong Nai river for a distance of about 5km.
The procession on Dong Nai River passes through Hoa An Bridge, Bien Hoa City, Dong Nai
After that, the group went ashore to gather with other formations at Phung Son Tu temple, then continued to march on foot through many routes around Bien Hoa market, a distance of more than 3km before returning to the temple to settle down.
The processions are decorated with splendid flags, strange costumes, traditional folk costumes, lion-lion-dragon teams, traditional music... creating a colorful and extremely bustling street festival.
In previous years, the Ong Pagoda festival was organized by the Chinese community, but this year the festival is a cultural exchange between Chinese and Vietnamese. The festival activities are both traditional Chinese and deeply imbued with Vietnamese cultural identity.
The procession passed through the streets around Bien Hoa market and was welcomed by many Bien Hoa residents and traders.
Like every year, the Nghinh Than ceremony was enthusiastically welcomed by many people along both sides of the road, enjoying, taking pictures, and livestreaming to share with relatives and friends.
Many families and traders in Bien Hoa market and along the road set up altars and incense tables to welcome Duc Ong and the gods to pray for a peaceful new year and favorable business.
To ensure the safety of the people participating in the Nghinh Than ceremony, the organizing committee of the Ong Pagoda festival and local authorities have made specific plans to regulate traffic, encourage people to maintain environmental hygiene, not raise service prices, and not set off glitter fireworks in areas where the parade passes through...
Girls wearing traditional Vietnamese costumes, ao dai and conical hats, participate in the Nghinh Than ceremony.
Mr. Huynh Huu Nghia, acting head of the That Phu Co Mieu management board and deputy head of the Ong Pagoda festival organizing committee, said that the Ong Pagoda festival is organized to meet the spiritual and cultural needs of the community, gradually forming cultural tourism products in the locality.
Thereby contributing to raising awareness of the ethnic communities in Dong Nai about preserving, maintaining and promoting the values of traditional cultural heritage of the nation; strengthening the strength of the great national unity bloc; satisfying the needs of beliefs and healthy entertainment of the people.
This year, Ong Pagoda festival continues to welcome many foreign tourist groups to participate.
After eight times of organization, Ong Pagoda Festival has become a prominent cultural activity in the early days of spring. The festival includes a series of activities to mark the 340th anniversary of the establishment of Ong Pagoda relic, welcoming the Ong Pagoda Festival being listed as a national intangible cultural heritage.
In particular, the Ong Pagoda Festival in 2024 will have the participation of delegations from China, Malaysia, Thailand, Taiwan, Indonesia, Singapore, and Quan Cong temples in provinces and cities such as Binh Thuan, Binh Duong, Can Tho, Ho Chi Minh City...
The procession dressed in divine costumes, traditional Chinese costumes, lion and dragon teams... paraded around Bien Hoa market and many streets, attracting thousands of people to come out to enjoy and wish for good luck.
Girls in colorful traditional costumes happily perform a dance on the parade route.
Ong Pagoda (also known as That Phu Co Mieu) was built in 1684 on Pho Islet (now Hiep Hoa Ward, Bien Hoa City), adjacent to Dong Nai River.
This is the earliest pagoda in the South, marking the historical milestone of the coexistence of the Vietnamese and Chinese communities in the process of reclaiming, establishing a career, and protecting the land of Bien Hoa - Dong Nai.
Ong Pagoda Festival runs for 5 days, from February 18 to 22 (January 9 to 13 of the year of the Dragon) with many special programs.
In addition to the Nghinh Than ceremony, the festival also has many unique art performances, lion and dragon dance shows, calligraphy and painting exhibitions and exchanges; balloon and lantern releasing ceremonies...
Source
Comment (0)