Nghinh Ong Celebration
March 23rd, 2010
“Nghinh Ong” is devoted to whale worship and is celebrated at the Ong pagoda by thousands of Chinese and Vietnamese participants in Phan Thiet. People gather to pray for happiness, health and good fortune for family and friends. Ong Pagoda was built to worship Quan Gong and was built in November 1770 (Year of the Tiger), in Duc Nghia Precinct, Phan Thiet City. It has a beautiful, Chinese architecture. A statue of Quan Kong and an old bell cast in Guang Tung (China) are preserved here. On festival days, the pagoda is decorated with flower garlands. Colorful lanterns are hung during the night. There are some cultural activities such as “hat boi” (classical dramas performances) and “hat ba trao” (singing traditional local folk songs). The festival continues with elaborate parades, costumes and an enormous dragon dance.
( by Adam Bray)