Khmer ethnic people in the southern province of Bac Lieu are welcoming the traditional Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival (Source: VNA)Bac Lieu (VNA) – Khmer ethnic people in the southern province of Bac Lieu are merrily welcoming the traditional Chol Chnam Thmay New Year festival as it is approaching next week.
Chol Chnam Thmay is one of the most important festivals of the year for the Khmer community. It usually lasts three days and is celebrated mostly in pagodas. This year’s festival will fall on April 13-15 (7-9 of the third month of the Vietnamese lunar calendar).
One of the most practices in Chol Chnam Thmay is Buddha bathing ceremony. Khmer people also bath to pray for forgiveness for mistakes made in the previous year.
On the occasion, the local authority has thus far organised a series of entertainment activities and made visits presenting gifts to needy households and key figures of the community.
The province is home to 14,678 households, with 88,176 Khmer ethnic people or 7.66 percent of the local population.
In recent years, nearly 7,900 households of the Khmer community in the locality have escaped from poverty, as a result of Programme 134, which provides housing and land for ethnic people, Programme 135, which is aimed at reducing poverty in extremely disadvantaged communes around the country, as well as through other assisting schemes from local authorities.
In 2016, the province continues implementing supporting policies for the ethnic group in accordance with the Prime Minister’s Decision No. 74 on land for housing and production. It also focuses on training work for local students.-VNA
