Kien Giang Province in southern Vietnam held the opening ceremony of the week-long Oc Om Boc Festival, also known as the Moon Worshipping Festival celebrated by the Khmer ethnic community in the Mekong Delta, on Friday.

While the festival officially runs from Wednesday to Saturday, it features two main parts: the ceremony and the festive activities, the latter of which began on November 8.

Held at the end of the harvest season, the event expresses gratitude to the moon, regarded as the god of nature in the Khmer ethnic culture, for aiding in weather regulation, fostering abundant harvests, and bringing prosperity to the village.  

According to the Committee for Ethnic Minority Affairs, the Khmer population in Vietnam exceeds 1.3 million, making up 4.45 percent of the southern region’s total population. 

In Kien Giang Province, the Khmer community constitutes over 13 percent of the population, with more than 56,000 households and approximately 237,000 people.

This year’s festival includes a variety of activities such as the moon worship ceremony, a trade fair showcasing local products, exhibitions of images and artifacts of the Khmer people, book displays, and sports events like men’s football, tug-of-war, and Ngo (Khmer) boat racing.  

The event is expected to attract 200,000–250,000 attendees from within and beyond Kien Giang Province.  

Le Trung Ho, deputy chairman of the provincial People’s Committee, emphasized the festival’s cultural significance, noting that it helps preserve, honor, and promote traditional cultural identity while enriching the spiritual life of the province’s ethnic minorities.  

“The festival also provides an opportunity for people to connect, exchange ideas, and participate in cultural, artistic, physical education, and sports activities, fostering solidarity among ethnic groups both within and outside the province,” Ho said. 

“This, in turn, promotes the cultural beauty of our locality.”

Like us on Facebook or follow us on X to get the latest news about Vietnam!