Ok Om Bok Festival (moon worship festival)

Ok Om Bok festival (moon worshiping festival) of the Khmer people Time: October 15 of the lunar calendar Ok Om Bok festival, also known as moon worshiping ceremony, is a long-standing traditional festival of the Khmer people in the Mekong Delta. The moon worshiping ceremony is held on the 15th day of the Ka-Dat month according to the Khmer calendar (ie the 15th day of the 10th lunar month) every year; Pray for favorable weather, good crops, and prosperity. Ok Om Bok ceremony is also a ceremony to send off the rainy season and welcome the dry season. In the spiritual life of the Khmer people, the moon god is considered an important deity so it is respected and worshiped by the Khmer community. During the moon worship festival, there are many rituals held at home and at the temple.  In the afternoon, each family prepares offerings, mainly self-produced agricultural products such as green rice, coconuts, bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava... In the evening, when the moon just emerges from the bamboo top, the homeowner arranges things and places them on a table in front of the yard. The homeowner burns incense and respectfully prays to the moon god for blessing and keeping the family safe, healthy, and full of rice and corn. May the moon god witness his sincerity and accept the offerings to continue to bless his family to be satisfied next year. After that, each child holds a Sala Tho and listens to the host recite the prayer, then feeds the children rice flakes and bananas. First, break a banana in half and put it in the child's mouth and ask "What do you wish for?". The child answers what they hope for in the coming year. The questioner gently tapped the child's back three times and said, "You will get your wish." The moon worshiping ritual at the pagoda is organized on a larger scale because of the Phum Sróc communal nature. The pagoda prepared three very straight bamboo trees to use as the ceremony table. Two trees are planted 4-5m apart. The remaining line is tied to the other two trees parallel to the ground to form a gate. The gate is decorated with bright flowers and leaves. Below is a table for offerings. People also prepare sugar cane trees, taking the whole root and placing them in front of the offering table.  The offerings to the moon are carefully prepared by the temple, including: green rice mixed with bananas, sala tho, scented water, flowers, potatoes, coconuts... In front of the ceremony table, a mat is spread for people to sit and worship. In addition to the ceremony, the Ok Om Bok festival also takes place many activities such as: entertainment, boat racing, releasing water lanterns, wind lanterns, tug-of-war competitions, smashing clay pots... Every year, the Ok Om Bok festival attracts a large number of people and domestic and foreign tourists to attend.