The Ooc Om Bok Festival 2023, featuring Ngo boat racing, is scheduled to occur in Soc Trang province from 25 to 27 November. This event, blending culture and sports, serves as a vibrant showcase of community spirit and holds significant cultural significance for the Khmer ethnic community.
Introduction to Ooc Om Bok Festival
Ooc Om Bok stands as one of the three key festivals, alongside Sene Dolta and Chol Chnam Thmay, observed annually by the Khmer people. Timed to coincide with the full moon in the 10th lunar month, this festival marks the transition from the rainy season to the dry season, symbolizing the shift from the growing season to the harvest season.
The enchanting Ooc Om Bok festival, dedicated to honoring the Moon, is set to grace at Soc Trang province in the Mekong Delta. This vibrant celebration serves as a tribute to the rich cultural heritage of the local Khmer ethnic community while concurrently fostering tourism, fortifying tourism infrastructure, and cultivating a heightened public consciousness regarding tourism development.
For the Khmer community, the Moon is revered as a deity holding sway over the weather and agricultural cycles throughout the year. During Ooc Om Bok festival, heartfelt offerings of farm products are made as expressions of gratitude for the benevolent weather and the bountiful harvest bestowed by the Moon god. It’s a poignant celebration that not only underscores cultural reverence but also serves as a heartfelt expression of gratitude for the blessings of favorable weather and agricultural prosperity.
Highlights of Ooc Om Bok Festival 2023
The 2023 Ooc Om Bok Festival – Boat racing in Soc Trang province has the theme “Soc Trang – Aspiration to Reach Far”. The opening program will take place on the evening of November 25, 2023, at the outdoor stage at Bach Dang Square, Soc Trang city, with a duration of 120 minutes.
This jubilant occasion promises an array of captivating activities throughout its duration. Among the highlights are the thrilling ghe ngo (Khmer long boat) race, a solemn Moon worshipping ritual, the mesmerizing performance of Loi Protip (water lantern), a showcase of local products at the OCOP fair, a delectable street food festival, and an inspiring art exhibition.
Adding to the festivity, an eagerly anticipated event involves the announcement of the Guinness Vietnam Record for the largest painting crafted from Soc Trang rice – a unique and symbolic celebration of the region’s agricultural prowess.
For the 2023 Soc Trang Province Boat Race in Mekong Delta, there are 46 boat teams registered to participate, including 6 women’s boat teams. Soc Trang province alone has 35 male Ngo boat teams and 3 female Ngo boat teams.
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Other Khmer Festivals to Participate While Traveling to Vietnam
Beside the Ooc Om Bok, there are 2 other spotlighted Khmer festivals are Sen Dolta Ceremony and Chol Chnam Thmay. They are vibrant and significant celebrations among the Khmer people, showcasing their rich cultural heritage through rituals, traditional dances, and joyful festivities.
Sen Dolta Ceremony (usually in October)
Annually, from August 29 to September 1 of the lunar calendar, the Khmer ethnic community reverently engages in the Sen Dolta ceremony, a heartfelt tribute to their parents and departed loved ones while honoring their ancestors. This tradition, symbolizing the clearing of land by fairies and the bestowment of peace and prosperity upon the village, holds a significant place in the cultural tapestry of the Khmer people and has been cherished across generations.
The Sen Dolta Festival, deeply ingrained in the Khmer cultural identity, mirrors the Vietnamese Vu Lan filial piety ceremony, both ceremonies serving as demonstrations of respect for deceased grandparents and forebears. Preserved and passed down through numerous generations, the Sen Dolta ceremony stands as a testament to the enduring cultural heritage of the Khmer community.
As the festival approaches, Khmer families meticulously prepare for the occasion. Each household designates a representative to assist the temple in readying for the festivities, contributing to tasks such as adorning the area with flags, clearing grass, and ensuring the pagoda grounds are pristine. Concurrently, families take the opportunity to cleanse their homes and altars, meticulously crafting traditional dishes to present as offerings to their grandparents and ancestors.
While the specifics of preparation vary depending on individual economic circumstances, the offerings share a common thread—simple, traditional Khmer dishes that evoke a sense of familiarity and cultural resonance. In adherence to ancient customs, the third and final day of the Sen Dolta ceremony is designated for bidding farewell to grandparents. Families unite in cooking meals, baking cakes, arranging fruits, lighting incense, and kindling lamps.
In a poignant gesture, these offerings are placed in boats crafted from banana peels or prepared areca leaves. These makeshift vessels are then gently released into the rivers and canals adjacent to their homes, symbolizing a symbolic farewell to their ancestors. The rhythmic currents carry these offerings away, underscoring the cultural richness and spiritual significance embedded in the Sen Dolta ceremony for the Khmer ethnic people.
Chol Chnam Thmay – the Khmer New Year (Middle of April)
The Khmer New Year – Chol Chnam Thmay stands as the most prominent and comprehensive celebration among the Khmer people, deeply rooted in the intersection of Buddhist and Brahmanical beliefs with agriculture.
In the traditional Khmer calendar, Tet Chol Chnam Thmay is a festive mark of the New Year. “Chôl,” translating to “Enter,” and “Chnam Thmay,” signifying “New Year,” encapsulate the essence of this cultural event.
According to local beliefs, this celebration falls between the transition from the rainy to dry seasons, marked by flourishing vegetation—an auspicious beginning to the year. Typically occurring around mid-April annually, Chol Chnam Thmay Tet serves not only as a means to unify the community but also as an opportunity for individuals to connect with nature, often observed through rain-praying rituals. It becomes a platform not just for expressing hopes for favorable weather and bountiful harvests but also for honoring ancestors.
In contrast to the New Year’s Eve celebrations of Vietnamese and Chinese communities, which mark the culmination of the harvest season, Khmer people joyously welcome the New Year while preparing for the commencement of the harvest season. This reflects the Khmer people’s character – simple yet generous, highly optimistic, resilient in the face of challenges, and always forward-looking.
Taking place in April on the Gregorian calendar, Chol Chnam Thmay New Year radiates distinctive cultural hues specific to the Mekong Delta region and the typical rice-farming communities in Southeast Asia. The Southern Khmer people, in particular, follow a festival system intricately entwined with the life cycle of rice plants, where significant communal rituals and activities unfold during leisure intervals.
Determined by the Khmer calendar and unfolding in mid-April, this New Year corresponds to the 5th month in the Buddhist calendar but holds a special place as the inaugural month in Khmer folklore. Aligned with the Khmer agricultural calendar, this period denotes a hiatus in farming activities—the peak of the dry season after the summer rice harvest. Agricultural and animal husbandry activities temporarily cease, anticipating the imminent arrival of the rainy season and the commencement of new crops.
Originally spanning 10-15 days in the past, the Khmer New Year has, in recent decades, embraced a trend of festival simplification, now condensed to a three-day celebration (excluding the preceding days of preparation). Despite this evolution, the festival retains its significance, symbolizing the welcoming of the rainy season and the promise of a new agricultural cycle – an enduring testament to the cultural richness and resilience of the Khmer people.
Conclusion for Ooc Om Bok Festival
As usual, the Ooc Om Bok Festival 2023 in Vietnam is a dazzling celebration that beautifully showcased the rich cultural heritage and traditions of the Mekong Delta region. As the festival unfolded, it becomes a vibrant tapestry of colorful rituals, unique boat racing, traditional games, and heartfelt expressions of gratitude to the Moon. The community cam together with infectious enthusiasm, fostering a sense of unity and pride. Through the rhythmic sounds of traditional music, the delectable aromas of local cuisine, and the joyous laughter echoing in the air, the yearly Ooc Om Bok festival always creates lasting memories for all who participated.
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