Ngu Hanh Son Vu Lan Festival to kick off next week in Vietnam's Da Nang

Vu Lan, a Buddhist festival honoring parents and ancestors and promoting filial piety, is observed annually on the 15th day of the seventh lunar month, which falls on August 27 this year.

It gives Vietnamese people an opportunity to express gratitude to their parents and ancestors through offerings, prayers and other traditional practices.

Nguyen Van Hien, deputy director of the Ngu Hanh Son Public Administration Service Center, said on Friday that the annual festival will be held around and inside Am Phu Cave on Thuy Son Mountain, part of the Ngu Hanh Son special national relic site in Ngu Hanh Son Ward.

Along with its focus on filial piety, the festival aims to honor the cultural, historical and spiritual values of Ngu Hanh Son, promote local heritage and highlight the site as a distinctive cultural and spiritual destination, Hien said.

The opening ceremony is scheduled for 7:30 am on August 21 at the main stage in the Am Phu Cave area.

The festival program will include traditional Buddhist rituals, prayers for fallen heroes and martyrs at the cave, and the 'Ngo' (Noon) offering ceremony.

A highlight of the religious ceremonies will be the alms-receiving and almsgiving rituals on the morning of August 22.

According to the organizers, the activities revive a traditional Buddhist practice and help promote compassion, humility and a spirit of service.

In addition to the religious ceremonies, the festival will feature a range of cultural and experiential activities for residents and tourists.

Among them, the 'Ky uc thang Bay' (Memories of 7th Lunar Month) experience space will recreate the atmosphere of the Vu Lan season through traditional cultural activities, vegetarian food stalls, tea ceremonies, calligraphy and displays of distinctive local cultural products.

The Vu Lan filial piety camp will feature cultural and musical exchanges, group activities and a campfire night for young people, monks, nuns, Buddhists and local residents.

The program will also feature a Dharma talk on the theme 'Cong on cha me' (Grace of Parents), along with a rose-pinning ceremony for delegates, Buddhist followers and visitors.

Tran Chi Trung, deputy head of the ward's culture and social affairs division, said information about the festival has been incorporated into a digital map to help residents and visitors follow the program and navigate the festival area.

Hien said the organizers have prepared plans to ensure public order, traffic safety, fire prevention and firefighting, search and rescue, medical services, environmental sanitation and landscape improvements throughout the festival area.

They will also step up inspections and supervision to prevent superstition and the exploitation of religious activities for profit, while strictly handling touting, price gouging and unauthorized sales.

The measures are intended to make the upcoming festival a civilized, friendly and safe event.