Fishermen cherish the whale at Mekong festival

February 08, 2017 - 13:00

More than 3,000 people took part in the annual Nghinh Ông (Whale Worship) Festival that fishermen in the Cửu Long (Mekong) province of Bạc Liêu celebrate in honour of the giant marine mammals.

Boats and shows: More than 3,000 visitors took part in the annual Nghinh Ông (Whale Worship) Festival in the Mekong Delta province of Bạc Liêu this week. — VNA/VNS Photo Như Bình
Viet Nam News

BẠC LIÊU — More than 3,000 people took part in the annual Nghinh Ông (Whale Worship) Festival that fishermen in the Cửu Long (Mekong) province of Bạc Liêu celebrate in honour of the giant marine mammals.

The three-day event ended on Monday at the Ông Duyên Hải Temple (Whale Temple) in Hòa Bình District’s Vĩnh Thịnh Commune.

The festival featured many activities like parades on both land and sea in honour of the whale, rituals to pray for good weather and bumper catches, cultural events, a Cải Lương (Reformed Opera) performance and dragon dances.

The ninth of the first lunar month, the festival’s main day, attracted 30 fishing boats carrying locals, visitors, dragons used in the dances, gongs and drums out to sea.

Mai Thanh Bình, a local fisherman, said fishermen participate in the festival to pray for a good fishing season at sea and a prosperous life.

The festival also marks the beginning of the year’s fishing season, he said.

Ngô Quốc Vũ, the festival’s deputy chief organiser, said fishermen place a lot of trust in the Nghinh Ông Festival, which has for long been an important cultural and spiritual feature in the life of locals.

It motivates fishermen to go out fishing at sea, thus improving their lives and the local economy, he added. — VNS

 

 

 

 

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