Festival to be facilitated in safe and impressive manner, affirmed Nguyen Thu Cuc – Chairwoman of Thu Dau Mot City People’s Committee

Mazu Goddess Temple Festival in Thu Dau Mot City falls in mid-January of the lunar calendar, attracting majority of pilgrims from all corner of the nation. To have better view of the preparation to bring up a meaningful festival to pilgrims, Binh Duong Newspaper reporter interviewed Nguyen Thu Cuc, the Chairwoman of Thu Dau Mot City People’s Committee.

- By the time, how have mid-January and Mazu Goddess Temple been organized in the city, madam?

- Annually, by mid-January of the lunar calendar, Thu Dau Mot City’s Chinese community organize their procession and reception of Mazu Goddess from Ba Bung Temple of Hiep An Ward to local temple. Following up the event, local chapels and pagodas also organize their rituals. For this year, the organization stays the same. However, along with economic development, worship has become more civilized with more participants on the peak from the 13^th to 15^th of lunar January. In the face of this, our festival steering board has met up very early to plan for specific assignment for possible situations to ensure security, food safety, beggar restriction, and cheating. Specifically on the 15^th, local forces shall allocate 600 people to guard entrances to ensure order. The Market Control Unit 1 shall guard the parking prices while the medical units shall ensure food safety and charity foods to avoid food poisoning.

On the 4^th of lunar January, visitors come to Mazu Goddess on increasing crowds at Phu Cuong Ward

For this year from the 30^th of lunar December, we have allocated our units for the festival not pending till the 12^th and 13^th of lunar January like in previous years. Accordingly, we have been in position for any incident ever since. Starting from the 12^th of lunar January, we shall enforce staffs to be ready for the festival in a bid to bring up satisfaction and safety for pilgrims on their visits to local worshiping places.

- The visiting crowd shall be for days at Mazu Goddess Temple. So, what measures has the city implemented to ensure safety?

- For this year, the 14^th and 15^th of lunar January fall on Thursday and Friday; thus, it is possible that visiting pilgrims may stay till Sunday. The quantity of visiting crowd and vehicles to Mazu Goddess Temple is expected to increase along the major streets of the city which may cause minor traffic congestion on Cach Mang Thang Tam Street and Yersin Street. In the meantime, bad faction shall be manipulating the event for their benefits. Besides, the fire safety, food sanitation and safety are or our great concern for safety of visiting people.

As the matter of fact, to ensure safety, we have planned with functional agencies to carry out comprehensive measures to ensure worry-free for visiting people to Thu Dau Mot City.

- So, what notions shall the steering board implement to correct the bad incidents during the local festival, madam?

- This is an annual event of spiritual worship and tourist attraction to Binh Duong Province. As the matter of fact, the organization has been ensured in the manner of solemnity. To do this is to impress visiting people on talking about mid-January Festival in Binh Duong.

By the time, we have discovered some cases of beggars and fake monks begging at the front of Mazu Goddess Temple. Previously, local Vietnamese Buddhism Management Association has organized broadcast on loudspeakers and banners to prevent those bad shaped cultural traits and for coordinated actions. Thus, the bad incurrence would hardly happen this year.

Regarding food sanitation and safety, medical unit of Thu Dau Mot City has established teams inspecting food traders during the event. As for price management, the market controlling unit has coordinated with economic police forces to inspect price listing at the sites. As for parking lots, Phu Cuong ward authority required traders to register and post their price lists. Catering traders must register to local authority with public price listing to be seen by buyers. Violation shall be sanctioned by rules.

In general, the conditions are better for this year. Thu Dau Mot City People’s Committee pay much attention to the festival regarding security, market price, food sanitation and safety in a bid to offer a safe and impressive festival for visiting people.

Interviewed by Hong Thuan – Translated by Vi Bao

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