Khmer festival re-created in Vietnam’s capital

The most major traditional festival of Vietnam’s Khmer communities will be re-created today, April 15, in Hanoi.

The three-day Chol Chnam Thmay festival, to be held at the Vietnamese Peoples' Culture Tourism Village in Dong Mo, Son Tay District, is the Khmer people's traditional New Year fete, which takes place in the third lunar month every year.

During the festival, which is just like Vietnamese people’s Tet (traditional Lunar New Year) in the first lunar month, Khmer people pray for good luck and prosperity and celebrate their new year with a clutch of exciting activities.

The Chol Chnam Thmay festival also conveys the meaning of ending the droughty weather and bringing about the favorable climate for bumper crops.

The festival reproduced in the Vietnamese capital will feature several activities, including processions, praying sessions devoted to the Buddha, Bible and Clergy, a ritual to give sacred baths to the Buddha, and building sand hills.

The event will be attended by dignitaries from the Vietnam Buddhism Association, members of the clergy, Buddhists, and tourists.

A chain of other events to commemorate the Vietnam Peoples’ Culture Day, April 19, will also run at the Vietnamese Peoples’ Culture Tourism Village from today until April 20.

The events include a cuisine fest showcasing specialties from northern, central and southern regions, as well as performances of folk songs and dances, together with the newly UNESCO-recognized “Don Ca Tai Tu” (southern traditional music).

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