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Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa (formerly Ong Nam Hai worship ceremony) is one of the biggest and oldest festivals of coastal people. Traveling to Nha Trang in February and March of the lunar calendar, remember not to miss the opportunity to immerse yourself in the solemn but no less joyful and colorful festival atmosphere on the romantic Khanh Hoa beach.
1. Origin of Cau Ngu festival in Khanh Hoa
Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa originates from the custom of worshiping Ong Nam Hai. Mr. Nam Hai is the solemn name of the people in the South Central Coast region for whales - a fish that symbolizes good omen with a large body, often helping fishermen when in trouble at sea. People consider whales to be one of the sacred sea gods. When dead fish wash ashore, fishing villagers often hold solemn funerals and worship at Lang Ong.
Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa takes place during the fishing season every year for 3 days and 3 nights around February or March of the lunar calendar. The place where the festival takes place is the whole village and the sea, the focus is Ong's Mausoleum - the place to worship Ong Nam Hai. Nha Trang Khanh Hoa Cau Ngu Festival is one of the festivals in Nha Trang imbued with the cultural identity of coastal people, becoming a custom of the people for many generations.
2. Meaning of Cau Ngu festival in Khanh Hoa
Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa is a big festival for the people of the coastal village, demonstrating people's belief in good values, the will to overcome hardships, and not be afraid of difficulties to build an increasingly better life. At the same time, it also shows gratitude and our nation's tradition of remembering its source when drinking water, creating community cohesion for coastal residents for many generations.
Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa recreates the beauty of the labor of coastal residents in the form of folk performances, rituals, and traditional art forms. From here, the folk culture and traditional arts of the South Central region are nurtured, inherited, helping to preserve and promote the good traditional cultural values of our ancestors. This unique festival also contributes to creating the cultural identity of Khanh Hoa.
2. What is Cau Ngu Festival in Khanh Hoa?
Cau Ngu Festival attracts tourists not only in the solemn ceremony, showing the beauty of folk beliefs, but also in the jubilant and bustling festival. Explanation about the Cau Ngu festival in Khanh Hoa with the process including: Sac Procession ceremony, Nghinh Ong ceremony, Ho Ba Trao performance, Tinh Sanh ceremony, Te Chanh ceremony, Second ceremony and King's Honor ceremony,...
- Cau Ngu Festival opens with the Sac Procession ceremony
The Sac Procession Ceremony is the opening ceremony for the Cau Ngu festival, taking place on the first morning of the festival. The ceremony is solemnly performed by the elderly and respected men in the village. The ceremony consists of 3 parts: Opening Ceremony, Requesting Color and Receiving Color.
The Sac Procession Ceremony begins with the Sac Request section performed at Tien Sage's house. The elders will offer incense and worship to invite Mr. Nam Hai to Ong's Mausoleum. Next was the Sac Procession with the large participation of the fishing village people taking Mr. Nam Hai to the Mausoleum. Finally, there is the Opening ceremony, as an announcement to start the Cau Ngu festival.
- Nghinh Ong Ceremony
Nghinh Ong ceremony is usually held early in the morning when the tide is high. This is a ritual to bring Mr. Nam Hai's soul from the sea back to the Mausoleum for the Te Chanh ceremony. The ceremony lasts for two hours, taking place at sea with a group of boats going out to welcome Mr. Nam Hai. When the boat group returns, the Sieu team will dance in front of the palace to celebrate Mr. Nam Hai entering the palace and returning to the villagers. The atmosphere of Nghinh Ong ceremony is very bustling with the bustling sound of drums and gongs, attracting not only villagers but also many tourists to watch.
- Ho Ba Trao - attractive folk performance
Ho Ba Trao is a synthetic folk performance art form (dancing, singing, speaking, etc.), rich in rituals of residents of the South Central Coast region. This is also a characteristic of Cau Ngu festival in Khanh Hoa. The singing team usually consists of 15 to 19 young male performers. Ho Ba Trao recreates the daily life and labor of the fishing village people through activities: rowing boats, casting nets, overcoming strong waves and winds when going to sea,...
Ho Ba Trao has the meaning of expressing the fishermen's condolences and gratitude to Ong fish, praying for good weather and wind for a bumper fish season, and expressing the people's desire for a peaceful and prosperous life. fishing village. This unique and lively form of folk art attracts tourists from all over to see and learn.
- Provincial Sanitation Ceremony to offer sacrifices to natural gods
The Tinh Sanh Ceremony is one of the extremely important rituals of the Cau Ngu festival. The ceremony takes place at the same time as Nghinh Ong ceremony. While the elders held the ceremony to process Mr. Nam Hai's soul at sea, the Sanh Sacrifice ceremony took place inside the mausoleum. This is a ritual to sacrifice the natural gods. During the ceremony, people use whole live pigs as offerings.
- The most sacred Cau Ngu festival ritual - Te Chanh Ceremony
After completing the Ho Ba Trao part, it is time for the most sacred and important ceremony - the Te Chanh ceremony. The ceremony takes place for 1 hour, lasting from 10 to 11 am. This ceremony is solemnly performed to show respect and reverence for Mr. Nam Hai, praying for his patronage and protection for those going to sea...
3. Cau Ngu Festival - Intangible cultural heritage that tourists should not miss
Through many ups and downs of history, Cau Ngu festival in Khanh Hoa is still preserved and passed down intact by the people here as a cultural beauty and pride of coastal people. In recent years, thanks to the attention and investment of authorities at all levels, the Cau Ngu festival has been fully and thoughtfully organized, including the traditional ceremony and expanding the festival with many attractive folk games. attract visitors to participate.
