On Saturday, the Son Tra District People's Committee launched the Fish-Worshipping Festival 2022 with traditional rituals and festivals bearing the distinctive culture of the coastal residents, attracting a great deal of public attention.

Here is a ribbon –cutting ceremony to launch the Fish-Worshipping Festival 2022 in Son Tra District.

The festival is taking place from February 24 – 27 at the Whale Temple, Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District.

This year’s event features certain solemn traditional ceremonies and exciting folk games.

The ceremonies included a procession of the Whale Saint who protects fishermen at sea and traditional rituals to honour ancestors and to pray for peace and prosperity throughout the year, all of which showcase the local cultural identity.

Besides rituals, the festival treats both locals and visitors with cultural and artistic activities. Notable among them are ‘bai choi’ (singing while acting as playing cards) - resound chants of the Quang Region and ‘ba trao’ (dancing and singing local traditional folk songs) to honour the merits and virtues of the whale, and to show the local fishermen's strong desire for peaceful offshore fishing trips, with bumper catches.

In addition, various exciting competitions are held within the framework of the festival, including fishing net knitting, tug-of-war, and a coracle race, and soccer and beach volleyball tournaments.

The annual festival has been an indispensable part of life in fishing villages in the city and is an important spiritual and cultural event, staged in the hope of winning favour with the sea god.

The fish-worshipping festival has been recognised as national intangible heritage items by the Vietnamese Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism in 2016.

The procession team, consisting of local residents, including the elderly in the traditional costumes, head toward the Whale Temple where rituals are held.

A solemn ritual as part of the festival takes place on a beach, Man Thai Ward, Son Tra District.

The festival treats local and visitors with folk games such as fishing net knitting, tug-of-war and a coracle race.

A beach volleyball competition, as part of the festival, is in progress.

Reporting by XUAN DUNG – Translating by A.THU