The Quan The Am Ngu Hanh Son Festival 2026 is held from April 4, 2026 to April 7, 2026 (in the days 17, 18, 19 and 20 of the 2nd lunar month) with the main activities: Opening ceremony taking place at 5:30 PM on April 4; the Quan The Am Bodhisattva worshiping ceremony (official ceremony) taking place at 7:00 AM on April 6th.
This is the most important ritual of the festival, attracting a large number of Buddhists and people to participate, spreading messages of compassion, peace and tranquility.
According to the organizers, in 2026, the festival will continue to maintain and promote the meaning of the "5 no" festival: No theft, robbery and social evils; no wandering, distorted begging; no littering, no violations of food safety and hygiene; no soliciting customers, raising prices, forcing prices; no releasing of animals and superstitious activities.
This is a very drastic approach of the Da Nang city's cultural sector for many years, aiming to help the festival preserve its cultural and spiritual values without being distorted.
For a long time, in many festivals, release is often seen as an act of compassion. But reality shows a paradox that the more people "release", the more creatures are captured to serve that activity.
Birds are locked in cages waiting to be released, fish are collected in large numbers and then released into the river, many cases die immediately after being rescued. When kindness is placed in the wrong place, it can become a loop that harms nature.
Placed in that context, the fact that the organizers of the Quan The Am Ngu Hanh Son festival, Da Nang continues to say directly "not releasing animals" is a drastic choice, showing the lack of compromise with distortions, even though they are covered with a spiritual shell.
This is not a denial of the meaning of compassion, but a way to return to it the right meaning, instead of being commercialized or exploited.
Similarly, eliminating superstitious activities is also a necessary step. Belief is a real human need, but the boundary between belief and superstition is sometimes very fragile.
When festivals become places for fortune-telling, asking for lucky charms, worshiping for profit or "buying and selling fortune", cultural values are not only distorted, but also create an environment prone to profiteering.
It is worth mentioning that Da Nang is not only stopping at "banning", but is gradually shaping a new standard for the festival. "5 no's" not only includes releasing animals or superstition, but is also associated with order, hygiene, food safety, and civilized behavior.
In parallel, there is the "green festival" orientation, encouraging environmentally friendly activities. This approach shows a clear management mindset to continuously improve the quality of festivals.
More importantly, this approach also affects community awareness. When people understand that improper release of animals can be harmful, that superstition is not a path to peace, then they themselves will become the force to maintain the purity of the festival.
The Quan The Am Ngu Hanh Son Festival, Da Nang, is a typical cultural and religious activity, associated with the spiritual life of the community. Raising the organization standard does not reduce the attraction, but on the contrary, helps the festival maintain depth and long-term value.
Saying "no" to releasing animals and superstition, after all, is not to restrict faith, but to protect faith. Because a festival is only truly meaningful when it nurtures good values, not to assist in deviations under the guise of spirituality.
