Khmer people celebrate Ok Om Bok Moon Worship Festival

The Khmer people of Southern Vietnam are celebrating the Ok Om Bok festival, also known as the Moon Worship Festival, held annually on the full moon of the tenth lunar month. Recognized as a national intangible cultural heritage in 2014, the festival serves to thank the Moon, believed to be the deity governing weather and crops, and to pray for favorable weather and bountiful harvests.

Traditional offerings include flattened rice (com dep), bananas, coconuts, sweet potatoes, taro, and various candies. The festival marks the transition from the planting season to the harvest season. Celebrations often take place at homes or temple grounds, featuring community gatherings and traditional activities such as the Ngo boat racing festival.

In cities like Can Tho, the festivities are held on a large scale, attracting tens of thousands of visitors. The festival is one of the three most important traditional celebrations for the Khmer people, alongside Chol Chnam Thmay and Sen Dolta.