Am Chua Festival 2012 was held from the 1st to 3rd of the third lunar month, falling on March 22 – 24. The festival this year, attracting thousands of pilgrims, took place solemnly and successfully...
Am Chua Festival 2012 was held from the 1st to 3rd of the third lunar month, falling on March 22 – 24. The festival this year, attracting thousands of pilgrims, took place solemnly and successfully.
Am Chua is an age-old cultural and historical vestige in Khanh Hoa Province. It worships Lady Goddess Thien Y A Na who is honored as Lady Goddess. According to the legend, this was place where the Goddess descended on earth and lived together with an old firewood couple in her childhood. There is a temple and statue of Lady Goddess dedicated here. With cultural and historical values, Am Chua Temple was recognized the national cultural and historical vestige by the Ministry of Culture & Information in 1999.
From the 1st to the 3rd day of the Third Lunar month every year, Am Chua holds a festival to commemorate the Lady Goddes’s credits. On this occasion, Am Chua is busy with clarinet and drum beat as well as flags and banners. It also is overcrowded with pilgrims who often take many kinds of offerings such as fruits and confectionary and burn incense to pray for peace and happiness.
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| Shadow dance at Am Chua Festival |
Like other years, he festival lasts three days with a lot of traditional rites along with performances such as lion dance, Van singing and shadow dance. Thousands of people flocked into the festival. They are may be
“For many years, every time when Am Chua Festival comes, I pilgrimage here to worship the Goddess to pray for health and peace. The management board took care of us kindly. They arranged meals and place to stay for us”, said Ngo Thi Thao, 77, from Dien Son Commune, Dien Khanh District,
“I’m very satisfied with the management of Am Chua Festival. Superstition, gambling and begging didn’t occur during the festival”, said Nguyen Thi Loan, from
Actually, to keep Am Chua Festival safe and wholesome, the management board has done good preparations. Security, fire prevention, food safety and environment were ensured. Additionally, over one ton of rice and other kinds of food were prepared to make meals for pilgrims. Marquees were also built up as accommodations for them. As a result, the festival this year took place solemnly and successfully.
“Am Chua Festival’s management board has coordinated closely with the local authority to organize the festival and keep it wholesome. The folk festival also kept its tradition”, said Luong Duy Hinh, deputy chief of the management board.
It’s possible to say that Am Chua Festival gets greater and more professional but it still keeps cultural and traditional values.
T.T
