Ong Song Doc Festival

Ong Song Doc Festival Every year on the 14th, 15th and 16th of the second lunar month, people of Song Doc, Tran Van Thoi district, Ca Mau province turn to the Nghinh Ong festival, especially those who work in the exploitation and fishing profession at sea. Ong Song Doc Festival is held for three days, of which the main ceremony takes place on the 15th. Starting at 2:00 p.m., the ceremony master and the Board of Directors solemnly brought the incense burner onto the palanquin, which was carried and followed by 9 ceremony students. Teams of lion drums, five-colored flags, weapons teams... lined up in two long lines from the main hall to the yard, then marched through the town's streets to the pier. The main ritual is that hundreds of fishing boats of fishermen inside and outside the province are decorated with flags and flowers, and a long family train of 4 ships connected together is arranged to run in the middle of the sea to process the Grandfather procession. Like many other places, Song Doc's Ong Festival is also a fishing festival: praying for calm seas, peaceful winds, lucky fishermen and prosperous business... The Ong Festival in Song Doc town is increasingly rich in content and form, becoming a unique cultural phenomenon of Ca Mau province. According to statistics of the Mausoleum Administration Board, every year the number of people attending the Nghinh Ong festival is over 20,000 people, the number of boats going out to sea is over 2,000 and other means such as boats and transport ships all participate in the festival. Mr. Duong Van The, Chief Owner of the Ong Mausoleum, said: "The day of worshiping him is a festival for fishermen and coastal people. This is a very meaningful cultural activity that has built a tradition of "drinking water, remember the source", demonstrating the kindness of the people of the sea. From there, it helps those who work in the sea know how to overcome difficulties and overcome the harshness of nature, believing in the goodness of their homeland. At the same time, this festival also has a very important meaning as a place of communication. save, exchange learning, and pass on careers to each other. Ong Song Doc Festival bears the mark of folk beliefs that were formed in 1925 and developed until now. Despite experiencing many ups and downs and events, the people of Song Doc still preserve, embellish and fully promote the identity of one of the largest festivals of Ca Mau province. Song Doc town is located 20 km west of the center of Tran Van Thoi district, has a coastline of 8.5 km, and Hon Chuoi island 18 nautical miles from the mainland... Being a land blessed by nature in all aspects and with great economic potential, in recent years it has attracted a large number of residents from all over the country and domestic and foreign economic organizations to do business and live. Since then, Song Doc town has been identified by the province as a key industry in promoting local economic growth.