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The Ponagar Tower Festival is one of the most remarkable festivals in Nha Trang, recognized by the Ministry of Culture, Sports, and Tourism as a National Intangible Cultural Heritage. If you happen to visit Nha Trang at the end of the lunar month of March, you should participate in this festival.
The profound significance of the Ponagar Tower Festival in the consciousness of the Champa people
The Ponagar Tower Festival, also known as the Thiên Yana Holy Mother Festival or Vía Bà, is held annually from 21st to 13th of the lunar month of March.
The festival commemorates the virtues of Thiên Yana Holy Mother, revered as Po Inư Nagar by the Cham people - the Mother of the land. Legend has it that she taught the locals how to cultivate rice, weave cloth, raise livestock, and sustain life...
The Ponagar Tower Festival is well-known among tourists and is included in the itinerary of Nha Trang tourism.
This festival is often held at the Ponagar Tower complex in Nha Trang, which is a cluster of Cham architectural relics representing the legacy of the ancient Cham kingdom to the culture of the Vietnamese people.
The sculptures of the god Shiva riding the bull god Nandin, the mythical creatures, and the intricate carvings built since the 13th century, still remain intact today, showcasing the remarkable architecture of Cham culture.
In the consciousness, life, and cultural background of generations of Cham people, the Mother of the Land - the goddess Po Inư Nagar plays an immensely important role and is a powerful and creative deity. She is the only woman worshipped independently. The Mother of the Land always leads the Cham people to a prosperous and happy life.
Therefore, the Cham people worship the goddess Po Inư Nagar with the most solemn ritual form. Every family, every village worships this deity. Ponagar Tower is the largest architectural work built solely to worship the Mother of the Land.
The Sacred and Unique Rituals of Ponagar Festival
What makes the Ponagar Tower Festival in Nha Trang distinctive is not only its profound and noble significance but also its elaborate and dignified ceremonies. The main ceremonies of the festival include: Bathing the Statue ritual, the ceremony of changing the royal robe, taking place precisely at noon on the 20th of the third lunar month.
The sacred ceremony will commence with the opening prayer to invoke peace and prosperity for the nation, followed by the birth offering ritual, which will take place at midnight (during the Rat hour) on the 22nd of the third lunar month. The formal ceremony will then be held early the next morning.
The act of worship and offering is carried out with utmost solemnity and reverence. Each group of people will then wear ceremonial attire, offer wine, tea, fruits... to express gratitude to the Mother of the Land.
The flower lantern releasing ceremony will be held on the evening of the 20th of the third lunar month, where sparkling flower lanterns will be released into the river with wishes and prayers to become reality. The requiem ceremony and the national peace prayer ceremony are also solemnly organized and aimed at humanitarian and noble purposes.
Alongside the sacred rituals, cultural activities add allure to this distinctive Nha Trang festival. Visitors can enjoy shadow puppetry and traditional singing performances throughout the festival days, at the stage in front of the Main Tower within the Ponagar Tower complex.
