Néak Tà worship ceremony at Qui Nong A hamlet, Hoa Loi commune, Chau Thanh district, Tra Vinh province (Photo: TL)

On February 22, Minister of Culture, Sports, and Tourism, Nguyen Van Hung, signed Decision No. 377/QD-BVHTTDL, officially enlisting the Dom Lơng Néak Tà Festival of the Khmer community in Tra Vinh province as part of the national intangible cultural heritage, specifically under the category of traditional festival types.

Minister Nguyen Van Hung has urged the Chairpersons of all levels of People's Committees in locations where the Khmer Long Dom Néak Tà Festival, a national intangible cultural heritage, is observed, to fulfill their responsibilities in managing these cultural assets according to the laws governing cultural heritage.

This acknowledgment brings Tra Vinh's tally of national intangible cultural heritages to seven, including the "Cham private cha pay" art of the Khmer ethnic group, the Ok Om Bok festival celebrated by Khmer communities in Tra Vinh, the Southern amateur music tradition, the My Long sea worship festival held in My Long town, Cau Ngang district, the Ro-hash art of the Khmer people in Tra Vinh province, the Vu Lan Thang festival in Cau Ke district, and the Dom Lơng Néak Tà Festival of the Khmer community in Tra Vinh province.

The Dom Lơng Néak Tà Festival is a deeply rooted tradition within the culture and spiritual fabric of the Khmer community in Tra Vinh province, symbolizing their identity and passed down through generations. Néak Tà, revered by the Khmer people of Tra Vinh, serves as the guardian of villages, crops, and families. Annually, the Khmer community organizes the Néak Tà worship festival during the transitional period between the dry and rainy seasons (following Chol Chnam Thmay), seeking blessings for rainfall, bountiful harvests, and the well-being of their people. 

Phuong An

Hoang Khiem (translator)