Vietnam is a country with many beautiful festivals. There is an anual festival taking place in Cau Ke district, Tra Vinh province in the 7th month of the lunar calendar. What is the name of the festival? What is its highlight? Let’s find out.
Every year, people from different places flock to Cau Ke district to join “Vu Lan Bao Hieu” (The Ghost festival), which is also called “Cung Ong Bon” festival. The festival mostly takes place in the “Ong Bon” temple.
The highlight of the “Vu Lan Bao Hieu” festival in Cau Ke district is the return of “Ong Bon”. “Ong Bon” returns by entering into the body of an ordinary man. Sometimes the corpse is a normal farmer or a retired cadre. Other customs include slitting his tongue and drawing a charm. “Ong Bon” speaks Chinese every time he returns because this is a festival of an ethnic group in Vietnam - “Hoa”. After “Ong Bon” completes the etiquette, he will leave the possessed body. The body entered by “Ong Bon” will pass out for 30 seconds. After 30 seconds, the unconscious person will return to be a normal person and they do not remember the things that happened before. At that time, everyone centralizes there to pray for sins of the dead souls of their families to be forgiven as well as to pray for their own peace.
In Cau Ke, there are six locations of beliefs: Van Ung Phong Cung, Nien Phong Cung, Van Duc Cung Minh Duc Cung, Thien Phong Cung, and Van Nien Phong Cung. The most special is Minh Duc Cung temple which has just been recognized as a national architectural art monument. It was built more than 200 years ago.
On two main days of the festival (27th and 28th), it takes place in Van Nien Phong Cung temple. There are various activities on those days such as: trade fair, entertainment, music night... Visitors can enjoy many fruits of the fruit festival such as: banana, orange, durian, mangosteen, rambutan, coconut... Especially, there is “dua sap” - the unique fruit and also a specialty of Cau Ke district. It is a kind of coconuts with more white flesh inside. Besides the fruits, visitors can enjoy street food, which are displayed at the stalls in the festival.
Cau Ke district is countryside of delicious fruits and it is also a multicultural land of three ethnic groups living together: Kinh- Hoa- Khmer. The authorities of Cau Ke are trying their best to improve people’s life but still keep the traditional culture. I feel happy because I was born and grow up in Cau Ke district of Tra Vinh province. Wherever I go in the future, I will never forget this beautiful and peaceful countryside.
Written by Thạch Chanh Phol – DA18NNAB
