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Quan Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival on Ngu Hanh Son, Danang is organized on the 19th day of the second lunar month. It was first organized in 1962, for the inauguration of the Avalokiesvara Bodhisattva statue in Hoa Nghiem cave at Thuy Son, west of Ngu Hanh Son Mountains. The same year, the festival was reorganized in Kim Son cave after the construction of the Quan The Am Pagoda on the Kim Son Mount. Until 1991, this festival was organized annually on a large scale and celebrations lasted for three entire days.
Like other traditional festivals, Quan Am (Avalokitesvara) Festival on Ngu Hanh Son, Danang consists of two parts: the religious ceremony and the festival itself. The former takes place with the rituals of Buddhism: The ceremony to worship spring with full rituals; The ceremony of beginning sutra chanting (this ceremony is to pray for peaceful country and prosperous people); The ceremony of giving alms to the wandering souls (the monks pray the Buddha for peace and happiness to the living and for freedom from suffering to the souls of the death); The preaching sessions (about culture, arts); Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva statue procession.
Activities at the festival: Camping; Boat race; Art performances; “Light” procession; Night-time Lantern Festival; Several other cultural activities.
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