Oc Om Boc Festival in Vietnam

Oc Om Boc Festival, Vietnam is a religious ceremony when the moon god of Kho Me minority group is worshipped in Soc Trang Province of South Vietnam. One of the most prominent of the festivals of Vietnam, it falls in October as per the Gregorian Calendar and on December 15th of the Buddhist calendar.

Oc Om Boc Festival, Vietnam is celebrated to thank the moon god for bringing good crops, abundant fish in the river and maintain the health of all the villagers. The moon deity is offered prayers to shower her blessings upon the villagers and lead them to prosperity.

As the full moon appears on the night of the Oc Om Boc Festival in Vietnam, people deposit trays of offerings in the pagoda yard or in their homes. The offering includes 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 of the Oc Om Boc Festival is the flying of paper lanterns and placing banana tree ferries attached with lights in the river. This is believed to sweep away the darkness and humidity of the rainy season.

Like all other Vietnam festivals & events Oc Om Boc Festival, Vietnam is also a festival of fun. The traditional Ngo boat (wooden boat carved on both bow and stern) race is 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’s responsibility to the moon god.

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