A safe, cost-saving and sentimental festival

Another festive event has passed in joy and excitement leaving the good impressions of the Full Moon Festival in January forever in everyone's hearts so that the following festivals in Thu Dau Mot city of Binh Duong will continue to welcome tourists from all over the world.

The unique culture

On the full moon day of lunar January this year, many pagodas, communal houses and shrines in Thu Dau Mot city have organized festival activities with different scales to attract a large number of tourists from all over the world. One of the festival activities with typical cultural characteristics and attracting the most local people and tourists to participate in the Full Moon Festival season in January this year is the procession of Ba (Mazu Goddess) palanquin that took place on the afternoon of February 5. The Ba palanquin procession is the main ceremony of the Ba Temple Festival on the full moon of lunar January in Thu Dau Mot city.

Tran Vinh An - Standing Deputy Chairman of the Management Board of Ba Temple, said that this year’s procession of Ba palanquin on the full moon day of the first lunar month has returned to the long-run tradition after a few years of suspension due to the epidemic. Accordingly, at 15:00 on February 5, the procession of Ba palanquin took place. Starting from Ba Temple, Ba palanquin went through the main streets in Phu Cuong ward of Thu Dau Mot city. In addition to the praying for peace, prosperity and happiness to everyone and every home, the procession of Ba palanquin also served tourists from all over the country as well as people in the province to have a more exciting and bustling spring atmosphere.

The procession of Ba palanquin on the afternoon of the full moon of January this year at the premises of Ba Temple in Phu Cuong ward of Thu Dau Mot city

Not only did it take place on the main holiday, since the New Year's Eve 2023, festival activities in Thu Dau Mot city have been very exciting. Therefore, the city authority has directed and mobilized functional branches, departments and city organizations to coordinate with festival organizers to work together to ensure a safe and economical festival creating a good image in the hearts of tourists on coming to Binh Duong. In particular, during this year's festival, volunteer work has received a very active and enthusiastic response from participating organizations and individuals, especially on January 14 and 15.

On the streets of Yersin, Cach Mang Thang Tam, Thich Quang Duc and the area near Ba Temple in Phu Cuong ward, the locality has facilitated and supported the location for departments and organizations to work together in volunteering activities from parking, repairing vehicles, transporting motorbike taxis to distributing foods, drinks, cold handkerchief, incense, fortune offerings free of charge, which is also a unique culture of Binh Duong, creating many good impressions in the hearts of locals and tourists far and wide. Huynh Ngoc Duc from Tan Phuoc Khanh ward of Tan Uyen town said: “I've heard a lot about it, but coming here and seeing that many things are served for free during this festive season, I was really surprised. As a resident of Binh Duong, I am very proud that there is such a meaningful, civilized and humane festival in my own homeland.”

A successful festival

Volunteer activities on the occasion of the Full Moon Festival in January have become a unique cultural feature of the people of Binh Duong. It is not only the pride of the local people, but also creates sympathy in the hearts of tourists from all over the world when they come to participate in the festival. Le Thi Van, a tourist said: “Participating in this year's festival, I feel the solemnity in the organization and the warmth of humanity in volunteer activities. The local festival is very civilized and attentive to visitors from all over the world and there is almost no situation of guillotine or enticing tourists. I hope that the festival organizers will maintain and promote these good things so that tourists continue to come here for pilgrimage in the following festivals."

It can be seen that it is the close and timely direction of the local authority along with the close and rhythmic coordination of functional sectors, festival organizers in the area and the cooperation of the local authorities have created success for the full moon festival season in January this year. Sharing about what makes the success of the Ba Temple Festival this year, Tran Vinh An said that this year's festival was only interested in by the People's Committee of Thu Dau Mot city as well as the Steering Committee of the Full Moon Festival in January of the city closely coordinated with the Temple Board of Directors to organize methodical and thoughtful activities. To create the success of this year's festival season, the whole local political system has been involved. Thanks to that, Binh Duong has created a civilized, kind, friendly, and free festival like many years ago to become the pride of local people as well as to create a good impression on and attract more and more tourists to Binh Duong.

The Lunar January Full Moon festival has ended. The joint implementation of the authorities of Thu Dau Mot city in Binh Duong province has created the overall success of the festival and left good impressions of a safe, economical, civilized festival of affection in the hearts of locals and tourists. Not only did it meet the religious, cultural and spiritual needs, the fame of the Lunar January Full Moon Festival is to cherish and hold back tourists from all over the world to continue to come to Thu Dau Mot of Binh Duong during the festivals later on.

Reported by Hong Thuan – Translated by Vi Bao