This year's Sen Don Ta Festival takes place from October 1-3 (August 29 - September 1 of the lunar calendar). However, half a month ago, the festive atmosphere began to bustle in the villages. People were busy decorating their houses and cleaning their ancestral altars to prepare for the most thoughtful ceremony.
Ms. Duong Thi Quy - a Khmer household in Dai Tam commune (My Xuyen district, Soc Trang province) said that if the Chinese and Kinh people have Vu Lan festival to show their gratitude, the Khmer people have Sen Don Ta festival. This is an occasion for children and grandchildren in the family to express their respect to their grandparents and ancestors who have passed away.
“Depending on the economic conditions of each family, there will be different ways of preparing, but the offerings often have in common simple, familiar dishes typical of the Khmer people in each hamlet,” said Ms. Quy.
Ms. Quy added that although life today has changed a lot, the Sen Don Ta festival of the Khmer people is still preserved and promoted, carrying deep humanity and moral educational meaning.
During the 3 days, rituals are held at the temple and at home such as the Rice Offering Ceremony, the Ancestors Welcoming Ceremony, the Ancestors Worship Ceremony, the Ancestors Farewell Ceremony, etc.
"Sen Don is also an occasion for Khmer people to show solidarity, love and affection for their villages and hamlets. People in the village and hamlet take turns bringing offerings, fruits, incense, and rice balls to the pagoda for monks to chant and make offerings to dedicate blessings to their ancestors, grandparents, and deceased relatives," said Ms. Quy.
Mr. Lam Van Hung in Dai Tam commune (My Xuyen, Soc Trang) shared that this year's Sen Don Ta Festival was organized more thoroughly than every year because his family had just finished harvesting 5,000m2 of Summer-Autumn rice with quite high productivity and selling price.
“This rice crop, I planted ST25 variety, which was purchased by the company at a price of 10,800 VND/kg. After deducting expenses, the profit was about 4 million VND/1,000m2. In addition, I also earned extra income from growing vegetables. Thanks to that, I have the conditions to celebrate the holiday more fully,” Mr. Hung said.
Ms. Kim Thi Luong in Chau Thanh town (Chau Thanh district, Soc Trang province) said that this year, celebrating the traditional ceremony of the nation is the most meaningful ever. Because her family has just received support from the State for a new, spacious house.
"Our family is poor, so the house is completely dilapidated and we cannot afford to repair it. With the local support for a new house and a change of profession, my husband and I decided to buy a motorbike to drive a motorbike taxi to earn some extra money," said Ms. Luong.
Soc Trang province has about 400,000 Khmer people, accounting for about 30% of the province's population. Over the past years, thanks to programs and policies for ethnic minority areas, along with the care of Party committees and local authorities at all levels, the lives of Khmer people in Soc Trang province have continuously improved.
By the end of 2023, the province still has 8,521 poor households and 21,515 near-poor households. Of which, there are 4,073 poor households and 8,230 near-poor households of Khmer ethnic group. The average poverty rate decreases by 2%/year; this rate among Khmer households decreases by 3%/year.
