Hue Nam Shrine Festival returns after a 1-year hiatus due to COVID-19

Bang, Chau an, friends and visitors arrive at Hue Nam Shrine early in the morning to participate in the festival

Hue Nam Shrine Festival (Hon Chen Shrine) is a traditional activity carrying cultural and spiritual elements which combines royal rites and folk beliefs of a part of the population of Hue in particular and the whole country in general. The festival is held annually on 2 occasions: March (the 2^nd and 3rd) and July (the 8^th, 9^th, and 10^th) of the lunar calendar with some activities, such as the procession of the Holy Mother Thien YA Na, the ritual of welcoming the Holy Mother, the life release ceremony, the lantern release ceremony, and the chau van tunes of Hue worship.

Hon Chen Shrine belongs to the complex of monuments of the ancient capital of Hue. This is a special national-level relic and is categorized into group A. In late 2018, the main hall was restored at the cost of about 11 billion VND from the socialy mobilized funds and completed in early 2020. However, due to COVID-19, the last two festivals in March and July had to be halted.

By Dang Chau