Nghinh ong- the biggest festival in Vung Tau

Vung Tau, Vietnam  has many traditional festivals such as Dinh Co festival, Trung Cuu festival, Thang Tam temple festival, etc, And Nghinh Ong festival is a famous folk festival in Ba Ria -Vung Tau province and it is recognized as one of the biggest fifteen festival in Vietnam in 2000 by information culture ministry and tourism general department.

 

Nghinh ong festival is held on 17, 18, and 19 of lunar August every year in Ba Ria-Vung Tau province.  This festival is organized to worship Ong fish (whale) which has the holy meaning to people along the seacoast.

Nghinh Ong festival comes from the religious belief of Cham people as follows: there is a god named Cha-aih-va, because he wants to comeback his countryside quickly after a period of miserable practice, he has argued with his teacher and then he has been turned out a whale. From that, when there is any accident happening on sea, people as well as property are saved and brought to the shore. Besides, according to the folk legend of Kinh ethnic, whale is born by Bodhisattva of mercy who tears the monk’ robe into many pieces floating on the surface of the sea to save all creatures falling in calamity when they are working on sea.

Moreover, in the historical record of Nguyen king, when Nguyen Anh is being on Phu Quoc Island (Kien Giang), he met a big storm and his boat is nearly wrecked but he prayed and he got out of that serious accident. Then Gia Long King (Nguyen Anh Lord) has appointed the whale as “Nam Hai Cu Toc Ngoc Lan Thuong Dang Than”.

Nowadays, Ong mausoleum has still kept many skeletons of Ong fish, the first skeleton is discovered in 1868 in Thuy Van seashore, Vung Tau city.  This skeleton is the weight of 4 tons and the length of 30 meters. Thus you have chance go to Vung Tau, do not miss visiting Ong mausoleum to see directly relic which Ong fish leaf.

Nghinh Ong festival is very famous and is held in all fish villages from Thanh Hoa sea to Kien Giang such as Binh Chau commune (Xuyen Moc province), Phuoc Hai, Phuoc Tinh, Long Hai (Long Dat province), Dinh Thang Tam, Thang Nhi, Thang Tam (Vung Tau city), etc, in which the most prominent festival is Nghinh Ong festival in Thang Tam temple.

Coming to the festival, tourists will be lived in jubilant air with many attractive activities. Nginh Ong festival is attended by both old and young people in Vung Tau. In the early morning, the activity of offering incenses and wine is carried out by old people on a big boat decorated with full flowers, flags, gongs, drums, etc. then some other activities happen such as reading funeral oration, conferring pupils, offering tea and flower, etc. besides, visitors can enjoy some interesting programs like marital art, dragon dance, and so on with harmonious rhyme of gongs, drums and thick incense.

Nghinh Ong festival is a chance for fishermen to pray for peace when they are on the sea, catch more fish, have happy and fun life. In addition, Nghinh Ong festival is a place to express their gratitude with ancestor. Nghinh Ong festival is an important festival with fishermen. Although it has many different names such as Ong festival, Thuy tuong festival, and held in many regions, this festival has two main parts as ceremony and festival and Ong fish is always a holy animal which fishermen worship.

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