Ponagar celebrations kick off in Khanh Hoa
(VOV) -This year’s Goddess Ponagar Festival opened in NhaTrang city, central Khanh Hoa province, on April 20, attracting tens of thousands of pilgrims from surrounding localities.
The annual event is held to commemorate the Goddess Thien Y A Na – Holy Mother of the Cham community in the central region, who, according to Cham legend, taught the local people to cultivate and make handicrafts.
It is Khanh Hoa’slargest traditional festival, to pray for peace, happiness and prosperity to Vietnamese people.
The three-day event involves numerous spiritual rituals and cultural activities, including a requiem, a flower lantern release, incense offering, and dance performances.
These festivities aim to honour the spiritual value of the Cham’s culture and promote cultural integration between the Cham and the Kinh – the largest population group in Vietnam.
The 1,200-year-old Ponagar tower complex, built in the unique Cham style, was recognised as a national historical relic site in 1979.
In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism recognised Ponaga Festival as national intangible cultural heritage.