Early this morning (August 11), the 8th day of the 7th lunar month, the Hue Nam Palace Festival (Hon Chen Palace) opened with a procession by river from 352 Chi Lang to Hue Nam Palace, Huong Tho commune, Hue city.

The procession by boat on the Perfume River consisted of dozens of Dragon boats built into Bang (double boats) and Chau An (single boats), inside of which were placed the palanquin of the Holy Mother and the royal decree, along with objects of worship such as umbrellas, umbrellas, flags, fans, etc. The procession was accompanied by a team of attendants, servants, and thousands of pilgrims from all over the country. On the way, the procession stopped to pay respects in front of Thien Mu Pagoda.

Mr. Nguyen Canh from Quang Nam province has been to Hue many times to participate in the Hue Nam Temple Festival and said: "I wish to do more good things, trying to make the Mau religion and the Holy Mother witness my heart worthy of a child of the religion."

The Hue Nam Temple Festival (Hon Chen Temple) is a traditional activity with spiritual cultural elements to worship the Holy Mother Thien YA Na, held in the third and seventh lunar months every year. This year's festival takes place for 3 days from August 11-13, which is the 8th-10th day of the 7th lunar month, at 352 Chi Lang, Hue Nam Temple and Hai Cat Communal House, Huong Tho Commune, Hue City. This is a traditional folk cultural festival with a typical community character of the ancient capital, attracting a large number of followers of the Mother Goddess Worship belief and many locals and tourists. Mr. Huynh Trinh Tan Toan, a tourist in Dak Lak, said: "The Hue Nam Temple Festival is one of the unique traditional festivals in Hue. I have heard about this festival a lot, but this is the first time I have come to Hue on the occasion of its taking place. Through this, tourists will better understand the traditional cultural activities with spiritual elements to worship the Holy Mother Thien YA Na".

In recent years, the Hue Nam Temple Festival has been organized on a larger and more systematic scale thanks to the synchronous coordination between the Hue Nam Temple Sponsoring Board, the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, the Hue Monuments Conservation Center and related departments and agencies. Many activities within the framework of the festival are filled with the colors of spiritual culture, Mother Goddess Worship - folk beliefs, worshiping goddesses and promoting the role of Vietnamese women. The festival contributes to preserving and promoting the cultural values, heritage associated with the relic, meeting the spiritual needs of the community practicing the Mother Goddess Worship of Tam Phu - a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity recognized by UNESCO.

Mr. Phan Thanh Hai, Director of the Department of Culture and Sports of Thua Thien Hue province, said: “Traditional festivals of Thua Thien Hue province, including Dien Hue Nam festival, are becoming more and more civilized. The festival organizers widely propagate to the people to ensure safety, environmental hygiene, not to release animals, and to comply with regulations on fire prevention and fighting…”.

The Hue Nam Temple Festival kicks off the main series of activities of the autumn festival - "Hue in Autumn" Hue Festival 2024. On August 12 and 13, the Hue Nam Temple Festival continues with the Main Ceremony, praying for national peace and prosperity and festival activities at Hai Cat Communal House. The Thanksgiving and Closing Ceremony is held on August 13. The Hue Nam Temple Festival brings visitors interesting experiences when coming to Hue in August this year.