Ensuring a safe and meaningful festive season

This year, the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival in general and the Thien Hau Lady Temple Festival in particular have taken place very simply and concisely in conditions of ensuring safety in Covid-19 prevention and control, due to Covid-19 pandemic. The Organizing Board of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival in Thu Dau Mot city and the Management Board of Thien Hau Lady Temple have implemented many activities and solutions to ensure a safe and meaningful festive season for everyone.

Simple but meaningful

Under the direction of the province, city and relevant sectors, this year's Thien Hau Temple Lady Festival in Thu Dau Mot city has taken place very simply, concisely but been full of meaning at people and visitors’ demand for religious activities on the occasion of the Lunar New Year. Tran Vinh An, Deputy Head of Thien Hau Lady temple’s Management Board said that festive activities at Thien Hau Lady temple in Phu Cuong ward is temporarily suspended this year, but  rituals on the full moon day of the first lunar month is still implemented by the Management Board simplely. Meanwhile, with the approval of the local authorities and functional agencies, the Management Board of Thien Hau Lady temple in Hoa Phu ward coordinated to organize a procession of Thien Hau Lady’s palanquin on February 9 under the "normal" conditions with safety for Covid-19 prevention and control ensured, aiming to partially meet people’s aspirations and religious needs.

Delegations participate in the procession.of Thien Hau Lady’s palanquin in Thu Dau Mot city’s Hoa Phu ward

Mr. An added: "The venue for the Thien Hau Lady procession ceremony in the area of the new city is relatively spacious, airy and the population density is not high, so the Management Board has asked permission of the local authorities and functional agencies to organize the procession of the Thien Hau Lady's palanquin under the "new normal" conditions after 2 years of pause, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Although being allowed to organize, we paid more attention to ensuring safety in pandemic prevention and control, and protecting the health of people and pilgrims when participating in this activity. Therefore, this year's procession of Thien Hau Lady’s palanquin took place in full meaning, but the scale of the organization was smaller, reducing the troupes of lions and dragons from localities in order to decrease the density of people coming to see and celebrate".

Making sure of safe festive season

Nguyen Thu Cuc, Chairwoman of Thu Dau Mot city People's Committee said that in order to well implement the direction of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival, the People's Committee of Thu Dau Mot city has issued a plan on managing and organizing festivals in the city in 2022; established a Steering Board for Security and Order of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival 2022, assigning the Chief of the city’s Police Agency to be the Head of the Steering Board; consolidated the Organizing Board of Thien Hau Lady Temple Festival in Phu Cuong Ward.

On that basis, the Steering Board for Safety and Security of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival has mapped out a plan to ensure order-security, fire safety, environmental sanitation, food hygiene and safety... during the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival. Particularly, the city's police and armed forces jointly set up a plan to ensure security at the procession of Thien Hau Lady's palanquin in Binh Duong new city on February 9 with 112 officers, soldiers mobilized to guarantee security from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on the main roads where Thien Hau Lady's palanquin passed. The city’s police force has also set up a plan to ensure security-order for the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival at Thien Hau Lady Temple and pagodas such as Thien Hau Lady temple in Bung Cau, Tay Tang, Linh Khong Dan pagodas...with 492 officers and soldiers mobilized at 7 belt posts on Highway 13 and 25 posts in the inner city.

In addition, the Management Board of Thien Hau Lady temple in Phu Cuong ward has also arranged operators together with over 100 employees to serve the tasks of delivering fortune, asking for fortune, and lanterns; disposed guards to ensure security-order, prevent fire and explosion in the festive area, absolutely do not allow trading in the temple courtyard; contracted with the city’s Urban Work Company to assist in collecting incense sticks and garbage during the festival. In addition, medical forces have abeen arranged to be on duty to provide first aid at the temple courtyard and the steering board's operating area. The organizing board has also arranged the QR code scanning points, distributed face masks in the entrance and exit areas; arranged convenient locations for organizations and individuals to distribute  food, water, cold towels...free of charge to people and pilgrims participating in the festival…

Mr. An said that in order to ensure safety in Covid-19 prevention and control, the Management Board of Thien Hau Lady Temple has sprayed disinfectant throughout the presbytery; installed a free wifi system so that people and pilgrims can scan the QR code for electronic medical declaration at the gate before entering the temple to burn incense. In addition, the Management Board has installed loudspeakers to continuously propagandize and call for people and pilgrims to follow the "5K" message and remind them to be careful in protecting their personal property…

In his recent visit to  4 Chinese communities on the occasion of the Lunar New Year and the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival, Vo Van Minh, Vice-Secretary of provincial Party Committee, Chairman of provincial People's Committee believed that TDM city’s Organizing Board of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival and the Management Board of Thien Hau Lady Temple will further uphold the spirit of solidarity, closeness and coordination in organizing this year's festival safely and meaningfully; continue promoting the beauty of culture, humanity, gratitude with the features of the “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival in the city in the hearts of people and tourists near and far.

The “First Full Moon of the Lunar New Year” festival is a folk festival that takes place annually in Thu Dau Mot city, mainly in communal houses, pagodas and temples in Phu Cuong, Chanh Nghia, Hiep An, Phu Tho, Hiep Thanh and Hoa Phu wards with focus being the Thien Hau Lady Temple Festival in Phu Cuong ward

Reported by Hong Thuan-Translated by Kim Tin