Representatives of Khanh Hoa Provincial People's Committee said that they have officially issued a plan to organize the Nha Trang Ponagar Tower Festival in 2026. This is one of the typical Mother Goddess worshiping festivals, maintained annually in the locality.
According to the plan, the important opening ceremony of the festival is the Water Procession ceremony which will take place on the morning of May 5, 2026 (ie March 19th of the lunar calendar) at the Ponagar Tower - Hang Pagoda relic site.
The procession in traditional costumes will prepare palanquins, flower cars and offerings, departing from the Ponagar Tower relic site, moving to Hang Pagoda to perform the ritual of asking for holy water.
After that, the delegation returned to the Mandapa area, where young women in traditional costumes performed the ritual of offering water to the Mother Goddess.
In addition to the water procession, the festival also organizes many special activities such as: Moc duc ceremony (replacing the Mother Goddess); palanquin procession, requiem, releasing lanterns; National peace and prosperity prayer ceremony; Incense offering ceremony of festivals; Ngo hour worship ceremony and peace prayer ceremony of the Cham people.
The Ponagar Tower relic was recognized by the Government as a Special National Relic in 2025. Previously, from 2012, the Po Nagar Tower Festival in Nha Trang was also included in the List of National Intangible Cultural Heritage by the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism.
Organizing the annual festival, associated with honoring the Special National Relic, is also an opportunity to show gratitude to Mother Thien Y A Na (Goddess Yang Po Inu Nagar) - "The Mother of the Land".
At the same time, this activity will contribute to raising awareness of preserving traditional cultural values, as well as promoting the image of Khanh Hoa to domestic and foreign tourists.
