The Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival is bustling with activity.

From April 17th to 20th (corresponding to the 20th to 23rd day of the third lunar month), the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival 2025 took place. During the festival days, the Po Nagar Cham Towers National Special Monument (Nha Trang City) attracted a large number of locals, pilgrims, and tourists.

People flocked to the festival.

There's an old folk saying , "The eighth month is the anniversary of the father's death, the third month is the anniversary of the mother's death." Therefore, every third lunar month, people and pilgrims from within and outside the province flock to the Po Nagar Tower National Special Monument to join the crowds respectfully offering simple gifts and prayers for good fortune to the Heavenly Mother YA Na – the Mother of the land. For over 20 years, during the Po Nagar Tower Festival, Ms. Vu Nhan ( Da Nang City) and members of the Tien Tien Holy Mother group have made a pilgrimage to the Heavenly Mother YA Na. “No matter how busy we are, we always try to arrange our schedules to be with Mother Mary on her feast day. Our group of 30 people only prays for national peace and prosperity, favorable weather, and happiness for all families. We have visited many places to worship Mother Mary, but the Po Nagar Tower Festival is still the most well-organized and solemn. Despite the large number of people, each pilgrimage group is arranged by the organizing committee to perform the rituals according to regulations,” Ms. Nhan shared.

People participate in the parade during the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival.

According to the organizing committee, this year's Po Nagar Tower Festival is expected to attract more than 100,000 people, including locals, tourists, and pilgrims. Among them, over 100 groups practicing the Mother Goddess worship, with approximately 6,000 people from within and outside the province, have registered to participate in the ceremony with the organizing committee. As in previous festivals, this year's Po Nagar Tower Festival will once again welcome a large number of Cham people. “When Cham people come to worship the Mother Goddess, they usually bring offerings of vegetables, fruits, and chickens. When offering prayers, I usually pray for good health for families, harmony between spouses and siblings, and for obedient and successful children. Coming to Mother is a joyful day, so everyone only thinks of good things to remember the one who pioneered and taught the people,” said Mr. Nam Trau (a shaman in My Son commune, Ninh Son district, Ninh Thuan province).

The Po Nagar Tower National Special Monument was built in the 8th century during the Champa Kingdom to worship the goddess Po Nagar – the Mother Goddess of the Cham people. This is the only Cham monument in the Central region with a statue of the goddess Po Nagar. Here, the religious rituals of Mother Goddess worship have been continuously maintained throughout many historical periods. It is also a cultural center for the worship of the Mother Goddess. The worship of the Holy Mother Thien YA Na, a special deity in Vietnamese folklore, has intertwined and adapted with the Cham worship of the Mother Goddess. Currently, there are more than 160 folk dance clubs in the province that regularly practice the worship of the Mother Goddess. During each Po Nagar Tower Festival, these groups practicing the worship of the Mother Goddess, along with pilgrims from other provinces, come together to promote the beauty of traditional culture.

Well-organized and thoughtful

This year's Po Nagar Tower Festival features several organizational changes; the rituals are meticulously performed; security and order during the festival are given special attention; and the assigned departments and forces coordinate smoothly. “This is the first year the Po Nagar Tower complex has been recognized as a special national monument, so the organization of the Po Nagar Tower Festival must be meticulous from preparation to the event itself to ensure everyone has the most comfortable experience. Regarding the rituals, there is a restoration of previously existing ceremonies such as the water procession, the prayer for peace ceremony of the Cham people, and the lantern festival… All activities in the Po Nagar Tower Festival have been elevated to a higher level, aiming to better meet the needs of the people and tourists,” said Mr. Le Van Hoa, Deputy Director of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism.

Cham girls perform traditional dances during the opening night of the Po Nagar Cham Towers Festival.

The Po Nagar Cham Tower Festival is a source of pride and honor, as well as a responsibility for the government and people of Khanh Hoa province in preserving, conserving, and promoting the value and beauty of traditional folk culture, spirituality, and beliefs. The festival takes place over four days with many unique traditional rituals and ceremonies such as: the water procession; the bathing ceremony; the palanquin procession; the prayer for the deceased; the floating lantern ceremony; the prayer for national peace and prosperity; the incense offering ceremony; the offering of food to the spirits; the prayer for peace of the Cham community; and traditional worship and sacrificial ceremonies… Along with these are performances of folk singing and shadow puppetry by groups practicing the Mother Goddess worship… All of these create a vibrant and lively atmosphere, reflecting the solidarity of the entire nation and the close bond of brotherhood that has lasted for generations, all striving together towards a better future.

GIANG DINH

Source: https://baokhanhhoa.vn/van-hoa/202504/ron-rang-lehoi-thap-ba-po-nagar-82c4dfa/