Oc Om Boc Traditional Festival in Soc Trang Province is one of the most prominent festivals of Vietnam. This is a religious ceremony worshipping the moon god of Khmer minority group. The festival falls in October as in the Gregorian Calendar and on December 15th of the Buddhist calendar.
The Oc Om Boc festival is celebrated to thank the moon god for bringing good crops to the fields, abundant fish in the river and maintaining the health for all the villagers here. The moon deity is offered prayers to shower her blessings upon the villagers and lead them to prosperity.
As the full moon starts appearing on the night of the Oc Om Boc Festival in Vietnam, people deposit trays of offerings in the pagoda yard or in their houses. Including in the offerings is green rice flakes, ripe bananas, fresh peeled coconuts, mangoes and other items. At the end of the ceremony, the children of the house sit on the ground and clap their hands while they are fed a hand full of green rice flakes by the elders.
The most colorful event in the Oc Om Bo festival in Soc Trang is flying the paper lanterns and placing the banana tree ferries attached with lights in the river. This activity is believed to sweep away the darkness and humidity of the rainy season.
Like other festivals in Vietnam. Oc Om Boc Festival in Soc Trang is also a festival of fun. Villagers in this festival can join the Ngo Boat race which is considered to be the highlight of the day next to the full moon night. This race is marked by the participation of many enthusiastic viewers who scream and encourage the participants to reach the finishing line first. The completion of the boat race signifies the completion of the villager鈥檚 responsibility to the moon god. Many traditional activities of the Khmer are organised on the evening of 14th every year.
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