Ponagar Festival 2019 opens in Nha Trang
PSNews - The Ponagar Festival 2019 opened in Nha Trang on April 25, in Nha Trang city, attracting thousands of pilgrím from surrounding provinces such as Gia Lai, Dak Lak, Ninh Thuan, Binh Thuan, Da Nang, etc.
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The three-day event commemorates the Goddess Ponagar, also known as Thien Y A Na, the Holy Mother of the Cham community in the central region. She is believed to have taught local people how to grow rice, raise silkworms, and weave fabric.
The annual Ponagar Festival is considered the largest religious festival of its kind in the central coastal province of Khanh Hoa. During the three-day festival, visitors will have chance understand more about the culture of the Cham ethnic people.
In particular, the opening ceremony of the festival features a requiem, the releasing of a lantern, and a ceremony that prays for peace and prosperity throughout the country. Additionally, a wide range of cultural activities that honour the spiritual life of the ethnic people of the southern central region are to be held during the festival.
A 1,200 year old tower dedicated to Ponagar, built using a unique Cham technique, was recognised as a national historical relic site in 1979. In 2012, the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism named the Ponargar festival a national intangible heritage.
