Celebrating the Thien Hau Festival

Every year on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, a large number of people in Ca Mau City flock to Thien Hau Thanh Mau Pagoda (Ward 2, Ca Mau City) to attend the festival, one of the most unique and largest folk cultural festivals of the year of the Chinese community in Ca Mau.

Since the 22nd of the third lunar month, people have brought to the temple many decorative items such as the symbolic crowns of Thien Hau and the gods, birthday greetings, red lanterns, and banners with Chinese characters celebrating the Lady's birthday. This year, the Lady's birthday falls on a weekend (April 20th of the solar calendar), so the number of visitors coming to the ceremony is quite large. Early in the morning of the main festival day, the crowd of people flocking to the temple is getting larger and larger, people come to offer offerings, burn incense, and ask for good luck, hoping for peace in the family and success in work.

At exactly 8:00 a.m. on the 23rd day of the third lunar month, a large number of people gathered at Ba Pagoda (Ward 2, Ca Mau City) to celebrate the festival of Thien Hau Thanh Mau.

The offerings were carefully prepared with 12 items and 12 white pigs. Members of the Ly Su Hoi wore formal costumes, coordinated with the lion dance, drum, and band teams, and prepared to perform the main ceremony. The master of ceremonies offered traditional offerings such as five fruits, five fruits, peach buns, green rice flakes, longevity noodles, rice cakes, incense, tea, wine, etc. In particular, the incense offering ceremony was solemnly led by a dignitary in the Teochew language, congratulating the birthday of Thien Hau and praying for the people to be safe and prosperous.

The chief priest in formal attire performed the incense offering ceremony.

Ms. Ly Thi Thuy, (Ward 8, Ca Mau city) shared: "Every year I visit her. When I go, I bring fruits, dumplings, and fresh flowers to offer to her to show my respect and pray for my family's good health and success in work."

After the main ceremony, people continued to burn incense, ask for divination, and pray. The village head carefully recorded the list of people who made offerings and distributed the lucky rice cakes – symbolizing the Lady’s fortune – for everyone to take home. At the end of the ceremony, 12 white pigs were butchered and divided according to the pre-dedicated list. Each portion was transported to each family, as a gift of gratitude and good luck.

The offerings are carefully prepared by the board of directors with full range of traditional dishes according to Chinese customs.

According to Chinese beliefs, burning incense to worship the Goddess is a way to send prayers for national peace and prosperity to the gods.

In the evening, the festival atmosphere became more vibrant with traditional cultural activities such as classical opera, singing and dancing, attracting a large number of people to watch. Exactly before midnight, all votive papers, clothes and offerings were burned, concluding a solemn and warm ceremony.

The Thien Hau Thanh Mau Festival is not only a big festival of the Chinese community, but it is also an interesting highlight in the cultural flow of ethnic groups living together in this land at the end of the sky.

The festival also attracts many young people to make pilgrimages. The festival also attracts many young people to make pilgrimages.

People from everywhere brought many offerings to her with their sincere hearts. People from everywhere brought many offerings to her with their sincere hearts.

The Thien Hau Festival in Ca Mau is a unique spiritual cultural feature of the Chinese community, expressing the desire for a peaceful, prosperous and happy life. The Thien Hau Festival in Ca Mau is a unique spiritual cultural feature of the Chinese community, expressing the desire for a peaceful, prosperous and happy life.