Biggest festival of Caodaism attracts crowds
(VOVWORLD) - Tens of thousands of Cao Dai followers, tourists, and locals from across Vietnam gathered on Tuesday in Tay Ninh to attend Hoi Yen Dieu Tri Cung Festival 2024, which coincided with the Mid-Autumn Festival.
 Khmer people in traditional costumes parade at the festival (Photo: Minh Phu/ VNA) |
The festival is a major great religious banquet for the Great Mother and nine female immortals of the Dieu Tri (Jasper Pond) Palace held annually on the 15th day of the 8th lunar month.
Its rituals include the procession of the Great Mother and the nine female immortals, dragon and unicorn dances, and offerings of five-fruit trays and confectionaries to pray for favorable weather, peace, and happiness for the nation.
The Hoi Yen Dieu Tri Cung Festival was first organized on the full moon of the 8th lunar month in the year 1925 in Ho Chi Minh City. The festival has been held annually ever since on two days in the middle of the 8th lunar month.