Whale Worship Festival in Da Nang

The Whale Worship Festival 2013 was opened on February 25th on Da Nang beach by the Da Nang People’s Committee.

The biggest traditional festival for fishermen along the coastal region of Da Nang is held annually after Tet in order to pray for their safety and luck in the new fishing season.

The festival started off with an important ritual of Nghinh Ong worship (Welcoming the Whale), showing fishermen’s respect to the whale, followed by prayers for the fishermen’s safety.

During the festival, many cultural activities and traditional games of the coastal region are organized. Joining the event, local people wish for a year with good catches, abundant crops, and a happy life.

This year’s Whale Worship Festival in Da Nang was more exciting than usual, as last year Da Nang fishermen had the best catch in 10 years, with 35,000 tons of marine products (up 1,500 tons in comparison with 2011)